UN Chief Acknowledges ‘Mega-Crisis’ in Humanitarian Aid Gap

An estimated $15 billion shortfall in the global funding gap for humanitarian action stems from the age of the "mega-crisis" and calls for "fresh thinking" and bold decisions, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – A nine-person panel on humanitarian financing report delivered to Ban on Saturday said the funding gap for 125 million people suffering from conflicts and disasters was "insufficient" and suffered from "short-termism."

"We are living in the age of the mega-crisis. But, as this report clearly demonstrates, the gap in funding is a solvable problem," Ban said.

Up to 13.5 Syrians need $8 billion in aid, according to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien’s estimate last month.

O’Brien said over the summer that 4.6 million South Sudanese displaced by a two-year civil war are in need of a further $1 billion.

"We need fresh thinking and the determination to take bold decisions," Ban said, thanking the high-level panel for shaping the priorities of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul scheduled for May.

The report offers solutions to closing the funding gap, including expanding the resource base through public-private partnerships, building resilience and self-reliance in fragile states and improving the efficiency of deliveries.