UN raises a quarter of $1 bn Turkey earthquake funds target
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Roshan Amiri
- . April 1, 2023
- . Update: April 1, 2023 7:28 pm
The United Nations (UN), an intergovernmental organization, has so far raised $268 million of the $1 billion fund target it needed for relief work in Turkey after the earthquake wreaked havoc in the country.
On Friday, the UN said that donors had so far contributed $268 million to the $1 billion flash appeal. Jens Laerke, spokesperson, media strategist and creative communicator at the UN, said that the UN humanitarian agency ended the initial emergency phase. He further added, “We are now involved in the humanitarian emergency phase, where we look at what the survivors need.”
When the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey on February 6, the UN issued a $1 billion flash appeal in order to help earthquake victims. On February 16, the UN asked for funds to help over 5 million earthquake survivors in Turkey.
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The United States (US), Kuwait, the European Commission, the UN’s emergency fund CERF (Central Emergency Response Fund) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are the top five donors to the UN flash appeal.
Laerke said that the UN and other humanitarian agencies helped to provide basic household items and clothes to more than 4.1 million people, food aid to 3 million people, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to 1.6 million people.
Earlier this month, the European Union hosted a conference in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, wherein donors pledged 7 billion euros to help Turkey and Syria recover from the destructive earthquake.
The UN also appealed for Syria to help earthquake survivors. The UN has raised $364 million of the $398 million requested to help earthquake victims in Syria.
Laerke reportedly said, “Since last month, we and our partners have provided shelter support, including tents, to nearly 100,000 people.”
The earthquake destroyed buildings, damaged crops, killed animals, and created shortages of barns and food.
