UN chief calls for joint world efforts to address growing humanitarian need

UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for joint world efforts to address the growing humanitarian need, saying that "Let us act with collective humanity to lift people in crisis from fear and helplessness."

"We must build partnerships that reflect our shared strengths and responsibilities," he told the World Humanitarian Summit Side Event, convened by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly.

"Only by working together can we address growing humanitarian needs," he said.

More than 60 million people around the world have been forced to abandon their houses due to violence and persecution, the UN secretary-general noted. "That is more than at any time since the Second World War. Half of them are children."

"Armed conflict is by far the greatest driver of humanitarian need," he said. "The absence of political solutions leads to protracted crises and more displacement."

The World Humanitarian Summit, which is expected to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2016, "is a vital opportunity to reinforce our common endeavor to save lives, and prevent and alleviate sufferings," Ban said.

The summit is expected to bring together governments, humanitarian organizations, people affected by humanitarian crises and new partners including the private sector to propose solutions to the world's most pressing challenges and set an agenda to keep humanitarian action fit for the future.

Conflicts in such countries as Iraq, Syria, South Sudan and Yemen create increasing humanitarian need. Most of the UN appeals are under-funded.

"Despite these efforts, each year we see the number of people in need continue to escalate," he said. "The scale and cost of meeting humanitarian needs is increasingly overwhelming our capacity to respond." Enditem