Novemer 20, 2008, GENEVA - The United Nations today launched its largest ever annual humanitarian appeal, seeking $7 billion for urgent aid to 30 million people in 31 countries, dwarfing by far last year's call for $3.8 billion for 25 million people. "Our aim is to help these most vulnerable people survive the coming year, and enable them to start working their way out of vulnerability and despair towards the dignity, safety and self-sufficiency to which every human being has a right," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in the foreword to Humanitarian Appeal 2009, which seeks help to the myriad victims of conflicts, natural disasters, climate change and surging food prices.

By far the biggest appeal ever launched since the creation of the UN Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) in 1991, it covers 12 countries or regions - the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, C te d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Iraq and region, Kenya, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, the West African region, and Zimbabwe. In formulating this year's CAP, which was launched in Geneva, 360 aid organizations including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other international bodies united to meet the world's major humanitarian challenges in a strategic, coordinated, effective, and prioritized way.

"Millions of people continue to struggle with long-running conflicts, natural disasters, the effects of climate change, and high food prices. The 2009 Appeal offers concrete help to these people in distress," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said, stressing that the $7 billion sought amounted to only a few cents for every $100 of national income in rich countries.

"In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), around 250,000 people are believed to have been displaced in the last two months and the situation is becoming increasingly desperate," UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF Frafjord Johnson said, referring to the surge in fighting between Government and rebel forces in the east of the vast country.

"Women and children are caught in the middle and most vulnerable to every sort of abuse. We must ensure their protection in the continuing fighting," she added. The overall humanitarian aid bill for 2009 is expected to go way beyond the $7 billion requested today, since the CAP does not include the so-called "flash appeals" which are launched throughout the year to meet the needs of new natural disasters as they arise. Mr. Holmes presided over today's launching ceremony, which was also attended by Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Elisabeth Rasmusson and UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Kenya Aeneas Chuma.