UNITED NATIONS
NATIONS UNIES
Embargoed until: 11 a.m. EST, Tuesday, 18 November 2003
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL LAUNCHES HUMANITARIAN APPEAL TO HELP 45 MILLION
PEOPLE
(New York: 18 November 2003): The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, launched the annual
global appeal for humanitarian aid today at United Nations headquarters in New York. He requested US$ 3
billion for aid in 2004 to help save the lives of 45 million people in 21 of the world's most serious crises, many of
which are in Africa.
"Some 45 million civilians are struggling to survive displacement, loss, and severe disruption to their lives in the
world's wars, conflicts and natural disasters. Most of them are children, women, and the elderly,” said Annan.
The crises included in this year’s appeals are Angola, Burundi, Chechnya and Neighbouring Republics
(Russian Federation), Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire (plus 3-Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Mali),
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Great Lakes Region,
Guinea, Liberia, occupied Palestinian territory, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa Region, Sudan,
Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa and Zimbabwe.
"I know that the world’s wealthy nations understand their responsibility to help people in need and uphold
people’s rights. They rightly see the assistance they provide as a simultaneous investment in security. A
world where, amid increasing global prosperity, millions still live in desperate conditions, will not be a world
at peace," said Annan.
The Secretary-General also pointed out that, despite generous contributions, the financing of humanitarian aid
remains inadequate and unpredictable for aid agencies. To date this year, agencies have received 66% of the US$
5.1 billion requested for their joint programmes in 2003.
In developing Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeals, the international humanitarian community seeks to support
governments in fulfilling their responsibility to assist and protect people in need. The appeal documents presented
today by international aid organisations, including United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations,
contain action plans to help people to survive. The appeals aim to bring food to the hungry, medical assistance to
the sick, shelter to displaced populations. They also address the need to support countries emerging from crisis or
conflict, such as Angola and Sierra Leone, which require humanitarian aid during the critical transition period
leading to peace and development. The appeals are dynamic; they are reviewed and updated throughout the year,
and new appeals are added as new challenges emerge.
The Humanitarian Appeal 2004 is a product of the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), a United Nations-led
mechanism. The Consolidated Appeals were created a decade ago by the United Nations General Assembly to
ensure strategic and coordinated humanitarian responses to crises. In all targeted countries, aid channelled through
the Consolidated Appeal helps fight inequality and injustice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) manages the CAP.
The Humanitarian Appeal 2004 and all related information can be found at the new site:
http://www.un.org/depts/ocha/cap.
Media contacts: Stephanie Bunker – OCHA New York: Tel: +1-917-367-51-26; cell: +1-917-892-1679;
email: bunker@un.org
Andrew Lawday – OCHA-Geneva: Tel: +41-22-917-1817; Mobile: +41-22-79-477-0803 / Email:
lawday@un.org