News
UN says humanitarian agencies face ‘biggest funding gap ever’
Funds are to help 204 million people and communities as armed conflict and climate change threaten their livelihoods
(Al Jazeera) The United Nations’ humanitarian projects face a record funding gap this year, with only a third of the required $48.7bn secured so far as global needs outpace pledges, according to the world body’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).The money is needed to help about 204 million people worldwide as armed conflict and climate change emerge as key drivers of “mega crises” that threaten the livelihoods of whole communities.
“More than halfway through the year, the funding shortfall is $33.6bn, our biggest funding gap ever,” OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told a media briefing on Friday.
“The needs in the world are rising much faster than the donor funding is coming in,” he said.
So far, $15.2bn has been collected by the midyear mark, also a record, Laerke said, in a year of soaring humanitarian needs.According to OCHA’s website, the United States is the top donor, contributing just a little more than $8bn, while the World Food Programme was the largest recipient.
The nearly $50bn needed includes all the UN-coordinated appeals worldwide, like the annual humanitarian response plans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria, as well as flash appeals in war-torn Ukraine and regional appeals for refugees in Afghanistan.The money is meant for all UN humanitarian agencies and some NGOs, but does not cover appeals from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the ICRC because they have independent appeal processes, Laerke said.
Four persons died in a head-on collision involving a car and a bus at Murasumoddai on the Paranthan-Mullaitivu road yesterday. Police said at the time of the accident, five persons were travelling in the car, of whom four died.
In another accident, one person died and six others sustained injuries when a three-wheeler collided with a car at Oyamaduwa, Anuradhapura. Police identified the dead person as the driver of the three-wheeler.
Member of Parliament Rohini Kaviratne has been appointed the Chairperson of the Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya, the women’s wing of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
The official appointment letter to Ms Kaviratne was handed over by the Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa yesterday in his office.
The General Secretary of the SJB, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, was also present during the handover. MP Kaviratne, known for her vocal advocacy for women’s rights and education in Parliament, is expected to lead the party’s women’s front in its future political and social initiatives.
News
Seventeen out of 18 court cases against SLFP concluded; Only Dayasiri’s case remains – Nimal Siripala de Silva
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Chairman Nimal Siripala de Silva announced that 17 out of the 18 court cases filed against the party have now been concluded, with only the case involving Dayasiri Jayasekara remaining.
The Chairman made these remarks in Kandy on Friday (09th) after paying homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic and calling on the Most Venerable Mahanayake and Anu Nayake Theros of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters.
“We are currently rebuilding the SLFP. Setting aside all differences, we are moving forward by uniting everyone. As part of this reorganisation, we have appointed MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, a skilled parliamentarian, as the National Organiser,” de Silva said. He expressed confidence that the remaining legal hurdle would soon be cleared, strengthening the party’s position for the upcoming Provincial Council election.
Addressing the media, the newly appointed National Organiser, MP Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, struck a defiant note. “It is difficult to rise once you have fallen, but we are back on our feet. Once we rise, it will be hard to knock us down again. In 1994, when we formed a government, this position was held by Anuruddha Ratwatte. Now that responsibility has been given to me. Wait and see what I achieve in the next six months,” he said.
The delegation included former ministers Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Mahinda Amaraweera, Duminda Dissanayake, Anuradha Jayaratne, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, and former Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa.
By S.K. Samaranayake
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