North East Appeal Fund hits $24 million Mark

Donations and pledges to the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund launched this February at an International Donor Conference in Oslo have reached $24 million. The fund which was set up under the auspices of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to tackle looming famine and humanitarian crisis in the north east is expected to receive $80m by the end of the year. It will pool contributions from donors to implement a stronger and timelier response to the needs of most-affected people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Countries that have pledged or donated to the NHF include Sweden, Germany, Norway, Belgium, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, the Arab Gulf Program for Development, Malta and Sri Lanka. The UN Humanitarian Response Plan’s intended outlay for Nigeria is $1.05 billion, making it the fourth largest singlecountry appeal globally. The UN and its partners aim to reach some 6.9 million people this year in areas affected by the insurgency in the Northeast.