Rich countries cut spending on humanitarian crises as demand rises

Wealthy countries including the United States, Germany and Britain spent less on aid for humanitarian crises last year, even as the United Nations said it was dealing with unprecedented need, research released on Monday showed.

The United States, the world’s biggest donor of humanitarian aid, cut its spending by 6% or $423 million in 2018, while Germany and Britain both spent 11% less than in 2017, according to the yearly Global Humanitarian Assistance report.

That was despite a record request through appeals coordinated by the United Nations, which deemed more than 200 million people to be in need of humanitarian aid. A large number of crises endure for many years, requiring greater level of resources and over a longer period of time, the report said.

Development Initiatives is an independent international development organization that produced the report, which looks at the resources directed to people in crisis.

[Thomson Reuters Foundation]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, Uncategorized by Grant Montgomery.