Unicef has launched its biggest ever appeal to raise funds for "growing numbers" of children experiencing humanitarian crises.
The £2bn Humanitarian Action for Children 2015 appeal aims to help 98 million people in 71 countries - two thirds of whom are children.
A spokeswoman for Unicef UK told Civil Society News that fundraising will be a global effort.
“Fundraising initiatives will take place around the world, from the US, the UK, across Europe, Japan and all over the world,” she said. “Funds will largely come from governments and foundations, as well as individual committees for Unicef like the UK office doing fundraising activities.”
The appeal will run for one year, ending in December 2015.
This year’s £2bn target marks a £600m jump in funding needs since last year’s appeal, reflecting the growing numbers of children facing conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies, including the Ebola epidemic, according to Unicef.
“We launch the Humanitarian Action for Children appeal every year,” the spokeswoman said. “So this £2bn appeal for 2015 is the amount of money we will need to reach the 62 million children in need across 71 countries. So next January, we will launch another appeal based on what is happening in the world this year – and we will look at figures and see which emergencies are the priorities.”
The biggest portion of this year’s appeal will be spent on Syria, where Unicef is calling for £596m to deliver immunisations, safe water and sanitation, and education. Some £330m will be spent on Ebola-affected communities to help prevent the spread and support the revitalisation of basic social services. £21.4m will be spent on Ukraine, where over 600,000 people are currently internally displaced and £17.4m will go to Nigeria to help those fleeing from armed groups. Additional funds will go towards “under-funded” regions like Afghanistan, Palestine and Niger.
Afshan Khan, director of emergency programmes for Unicef, said the £2bn target reflects a "new generation" of humanitarian crises.
"Emergencies sparked by social fracture, climate change and disease are stalking children in ways we have never seen before," he said. "This appeal will reach the most vulnerable children, wherever they are and provide the building blocks that will allow them to create peaceful futures.
"This is not just about immediate humanitarian action. These short-term investments will have long-term gains.”
