Humanitarian aid arrives at a warehouse of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on May 31, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged UN member states to provide the funding needed for humanitarian plans, "as a matter of urgency."

Nearly halfway through the year, donors have provided just 8 billion U.S. dollars of the 48 billion dollars required for lifesaving humanitarian aid programs, Guterres said in his video message to the Humanitarian Affairs Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which is taking place from Tuesday to Thursday.

Humanitarian efforts are undermined by a shortfall in funding, the UN chief warned.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, but conflict, disregard for the rules of war, and a runaway climate crisis are creating appalling human suffering, he noted.

In Gaza, more than three-quarters of the population have been forced to flee; in Sudan, more than a year of brutal fighting, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, and ethnically motivated violence have created the world's largest displacement crisis; and the same cruel patterns of civilian suffering can be seen from Haiti to Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and beyond, he said.

Meanwhile, vulnerable communities and countries are being pounded by the humanitarian and economic impacts of the climate crisis. In Southern Africa alone, more than 60 million people have been severely affected this year by drought, floods and other extreme weather conditions, according to Guterres.

"Across the world, these factors are driving vast levels of humanitarian need, including record levels of hunger and displacement," he said.

Guterres emphasized that for millions of people facing these challenges, the only ray of hope is humanitarian aid, often provided by the United Nations and its partners on the ground.

"Humanitarian workers represent the spirit of multilateralism and humanity; they are the face of our duty of care for our fellow human beings," he said.

But an unconscionable number of our humanitarian workers are losing their lives and suffering injury, abduction, and intimidation alongside the civilians they support. "This is totally unacceptable," Guterres stressed.

The UN chief called on all member states to step up, to draw on their spirit of humanity and solidarity, and their commitment to multilateralism; urged governments to commit to the political solutions required to address today's conflicts, the climate crisis, and the vicious cycles driving intolerable levels of humanitarian suffering; and called on all those with influence to champion international law, the protection of civilians and the unobstructed provision of humanitarian aid.

The ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment is taking place under the theme "Putting humanity first in the face of conflicts and climate change: strengthening humanitarian assistance and respect for international humanitarian law, and promoting effectiveness, innovation and partnerships," during which 4 high-level panel discussions will be held.

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