Politics
0
plusresetminus
Publish date5 Dec 2020 - 15:30
Story Code : 484641

UN official warns of famine, humanitarian catastrophe in 2021

Top UN official from World Food Program (WFP) has warned of the coming year 2021 to be likely the year of humanitarian catastrophe as nearly a dozen countries will be challenged by famine.
UN official warns of famine, humanitarian catastrophe in 2021
Speaking at a special UN meeting on the pandemic on Friday, World Food Programme chief David Beasley said "2021 is literally going to be catastrophic based on what we're seeing at this stage of the game," noting that for a dozen countries, famine is "knocking on the door."

He said next year was likely to see "the worst humanitarian crisis year since the beginning of the United Nations" 75 years ago and "we're not going to be able to fund everything... so we have to prioritize, as I say, the icebergs in front of the Titanic."

Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked for an immediate injection of $4.3 billion into a global program to share vaccines for the new coronavirus.

"We simply cannot accept a world in which the poor and marginalized are trampled by the rich and powerful in the stampede for vaccines," Tedros told the 193-member UN General Assembly.

"This is a global crisis and the solutions must be shared equitably as global public goods," he added.

The new coronavirus emerged in China late last year and has so far infected 65 million people across the world.

Earlier this week, the UN appealed for $35 billion to meet humanitarian needs in 2021, saying the pandemic and measures taken by countries to try to curb its spread had led to a 40% increase in the number of people needing humanitarian assistance.
https://taghribnews.com/vdcgtt9tqak9734.5jra.html
Related News
Post a comment
Your Name
Your Email Address
Security Code