UN hopes to raise $32.9-M to assist typhoon-battered PH
2024-Nov-13 16:46
TYPHOON-WEARY. Residents walk past a damaged car and tricycle in Barangay Poblacion 3, Laurel, Batangas on Oct. 29, 2024. The Bugaan Bridge, which connects Barangay Poblacion 3 and Barangay Bugaan East, was destroyed following torrential rains caused by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name Trami) on Oct. 24, 2024. (PNA/Joan Bondoc)
MANILA – The United Nations hopes to raise USD32.9 million to deliver aid to vulnerable communities severely affected by recent storms that pummeled the Philippines.
The Philippine Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), led by the UN Philippines, has launched the Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) Plan that aims to support about 210,000 people in northern and southern Luzon, specifically the regions of Bicol, Calabarzon, and Cagayan Valley.
"We call on resource partners to rapidly support the HNP and fill critical funding gaps generated by an exceptional series of storms," UN Philippines Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez said in a statement dated Nov. 12.
"The HNP will help us mobilize the capacities and resources of the humanitarian community to better support government institutions at national, regional, and local levels."
The fund will support the delivery of critical lifesaving and protection efforts over the next three months, focusing on vulnerable groups, including women, girls, and persons with disabilities.
On behalf of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno thanked the HCT and partner agencies for developing the HNP, urging them to "bolster the government's response capacity."
The HCT consists of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Development Program, and other aid agencies.
Over the past months, the Philippines has endured a series of strong tropical cyclones, and another is expected in the coming days.
The severe weather events have placed pressure on local communities and the government's capacity to respond effectively, the UN Philippines said.
"Typhoons are overlapping. As soon as communities attempt to recover from the shock, the next tropical storm is already hitting them again. In this context, the response capacity gets exhausted, and budgets depleted," Gonzalez said.
He said the new HNP would augment the HCT's ongoing relief efforts and fill "critical gaps" in those areas heavily impacted by the typhoons.
The UN Central Emergency Relief Fund has approved USD3.5 million in humanitarian funds for IOM, FAO, World Food Program, UN Children's Fund, and the UN Population Fund. (PNA)