Accra:The United Nations has announced a release of USD 160 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to aid in 12 of the world's most underfunded humanitarian crises.

According to Qatar News Agency, this allocation is part of the UN's broader initiative to assist 87 million people facing severe humanitarian needs this year. Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, emphasized the urgency, stating that there is no time to waste in delivering aid to those who might otherwise be overlooked.

The funding, totaling about USD 150 million, will support life-saving efforts in the occupied Palestinian territory, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. Specific allocations include USD 18 million each for the occupied Palestinian territory, Afghanistan, and Yemen, among others.

Fletcher highlighted that five of these areas‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬Afghanistan, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬are among the ten contexts where he has called for urgent diplomatic action to secure humanitarian access. This is crucial to reaching 11 million of the 87 million people prioritized for aid this year.

An additional USD 10 million is designated to address the urgent needs of persons with disabilities across these crises, aiming to make humanitarian assistance more inclusive and accessible.