UN launches an appeal for 400 million USD in aid for Syria following the quake disaster
(VOVWORLD) - Nearly nine million people in Syria were affected by the earthquake, the UN said, as it launched a 400 million USD funding appeal to help the situation there.
 Rescue effort is underway in Turkey following the earthquake disaster (Photo: VNA) |
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the scale of the devastation caused by the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that ravaged southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on February 6 “is one of the worst in recent memory,” and “we all know that lifesaving aid has not been getting in at the speed and scale needed.”
He said the 397 million USD will provide “desperately needed, life-saving relief for nearly 5 million Syrians — including shelter, health care, food and protection” for three months.
Guterres said the UN is in the final stages of preparing an emergency appeal for quake-ravaged southern Turkey.
He urged the international community to provide the emergency funding without delay, saying, “The human suffering from this epic natural disaster should not be made even worse by man-made obstacles — access, funding, supplies.”