Middle East demands 40% of global humanitarian aid, warns Unicef ​​director

According to the agency, 39 million children are in extreme poverty and depend on humanitarian aid

The Middle East alone demands 40% of global humanitarian aid, warned the director of UNICEF (United Nations Agency for Children), Ted Chaiban, on Monday (7) to the Associated Press.

According to Chaiban, the region gathers around 39 million children in extreme poverty and with total dependence on assistance. With conflicts, natural disasters and the Covid-19 crisis, local demand is at least $ 6 billion.

"The biggest humanitarian emergencies in the world occur in this region," said Chaiban. The country most affected is Yemen, which has the biggest humanitarian disaster in the world after five years of civil war.

Yemeni child carries drinking water amid rubble from the city of Aden, Yemen, in April 2020 (Photo: Unicef)

According to Unicef, all 12 million Yemeni children are in need of some assistance - from food to sanitation, health, education and economics. "We are on the edge of a precipice in Yemen," said Chaiban.

The country of 28 million inhabitants, with a territory comparable to the Brazilian state of Bahia, already has two million children with severe malnutrition and five million people starving. It is estimated that 90% of the food comes from humanitarian aid.

Calamity spreads

In addition to Yemen, Lebanon is also highly vulnerable. Political paralysis since the explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, opens up a bankrupt state with high debts and 75% of the population on the brink of poverty.

The refugee crisis in the country is also accentuated. Palestinians and Syrians migrate to Lebanon who are fleeing conflicts and persecution in their nations of origin. Syria's civil war alone has displaced millions since 2010.

Other countries, such as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Jordan and Palestinian territories are also facing difficulties. Unicef ​​hopes to raise $ 2.5 billion in emergency assistance for the Middle East.

In addition to basic inputs, organizations seek to invest in distance education for children and adolescents and direct part of Covax, an initiative to distribute immunization against the coronavirus.

Last year, Unicef ​​only managed to raise half the amount needed to help the region.