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Backgrounder: status quo of and demands for humanitarian aid worldwide

Xinhua, May 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The first World Humanitarian Summit kicked off in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Monday. How to deliver the humanitarian aid supplies more speedily and efficiently to those in need is one of the main topics on the agenda.

Currently, the world is undergoing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The following data spell out the status quo of, and the demands for, global humanitarian aid.

60 MILLION DISPLACED BY CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE

Armed conflict and violence have had a negative impact on the global humanitarian situation, noticeably pushing up the number of the displaced over the past 10 years, according to the latest statistics released by the United Nations.

So far, 60 million people are homeless worldwide, among whom 20 million have fled to other countries and become refugees, while the rest have left their homeland or roam about their countries of origin.

In addition, 1.5 billion people live in regions haunted by reciprocated rounds of violent conflicts, whose damage to the global economy is valued at 14.3 trillion U.S. dollars per year.

125 MILLION IN URGENT NEED

In 2015, the number of people in immediate need of humanitarian aid worldwide reached 125 million, including refugees, the displaced and the famine victims suffering from environmental deterioration.

20 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS SHORT OF SUPPLY

The demand for humanitarian aid has been growing, whereas relevant funding and international assistance have not witnessed a matching increase due to various constraints, resulting in a financial deficit of 20 billion dollars.

30 MILLION CHILDREN DISPLACED

Over 30 million children are homeless because of wars, natural disasters and other crises, registering the highest record since 1945. Among them, only a half have received primary education and only a quarter have entered middle schools. The situation of refugee girls is even worse.

NATURAL DISASTER-RELATED ECONOMIC LOSSES AT 300 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS

People affected by natural disasters including droughts, storms and earthquakes number in the millions in the world every year, leading to economic losses as high as 300 billion dollars.

The number can still grow, when taking into consideration elements such as climate change. It is estimated that 40 percent of the world population will live in areas suffering from severe water shortage in 2050.

SOME THREE MILLION LIVES SAVED YEARLY

Each year, the United Nations is reported to offer food to 90 million people globally and vaccinate about 58 percent of the children around the world, altogether saving some three million lives. Meanwhile, governments and non-governmental organizations in different countries are also helping millions of people in need. Endi