UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The global food crisis is largely responsible for driving up the United Nations' need for funding to confront disasters and emergencies around the world this year by one-fifth, the U.N. said on Wednesday.
World prices of basic foodstuffs such as wheat and ricehave doubled over the last year, badly hitting poor nationsthat rely on food imports and sparking food riots in Africa andelsewhere.
A mid-year review meeting to assess U.N. aid funding needsfor 2008 heard that the original appeal for $3.8 billion (1.9billion pounds) announced in December and quickly revised to$5.4 billion to accommodate extra crises now stood at $6.5billion.
The cash is needed to meet appeals for food, shelter, cleanwater and other necessities in 10 countries, mainly in Africa,plus the west African region.
"One of the main reasons for the rises is because of theglobal food crisis," U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes told anews conference, although he said natural disasters andconflicts were also to blame.
So far this year donors have contributed $2.9 billion,meaning another $3.6 billion is needed if the revised target isto be met. "The donors will need to dig deep into their pocketsto try to find that money," Holmes said.
The biggest focus of the appeal is Sudan, where the5-year-old conflict in the western Darfur region has driven anestimated 2.5 million people from their homes. The new fundingrequirement for Sudan is $1.95 billion.
However, the biggest percentage increase is for Somalia,where continued internal fighting has combined with drought tomake many more people destitute. The aid requirement there hasjumped nearly 60 percent in six months to $641 million.
Other needy countries are the conflict-ridden DemocraticRepublic of the Congo, now requiring $736 million this year,cyclone-hit Myanmar ($481 million) and Zimbabwe, struck bypolitical, economic and weather-related crises ($394 million).
The biggest supporters of U.N. aid projects have in thepast been the United States and the European Union, but Holmes,underlining a point he made at the original launch, stressedthe need for new donors, including from the private sector.
(Reporting by Patrick Worsnip; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
