• As of 30 May 2016, financial requirements of UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plans, Flash Appeals and Regional Refugee Plans as reflected in the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) amount to an unprecedented US$20.8 billion and are expected to rise. These appeals are currently funded at $4.8 billion, or 23 per cent. $16 billion in financial requirements remain unmet. Overall, humanitarian operations in 2016 are funded at almost $9.2 billion.

• Currently humanitarian partners aim to reach 91 million people in need in as many as 40 countries. The increase in May is due to the Flash Appeal in response to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador, to a response plan for Zimbabwe and to expanded requirements in Ethiopia as a consequence of El Niño.

• Over $3.6 billion is required for El Niño-related activities through government plans, plans developed by humanitarian country teams, and joint government-humanitarian organization plans in countries across the most affected regions of East Africa, Southern Africa, Central America and Asia Pacific. The newly appointed United Nations Special Envoys for El Niño will work to generate resources for El Niño response and to secure long-term solutions for resilience building and preparedness. Meteorologists indicate that a La Niña event is more likely than not to occur later this year.

• Over the last month, FTS records a significant increase of 28 per cent in funding for the Burundi RRP while funding for the Myanmar plan has increased by 20 per cent. Funding for the Mali appeal increased by 8 per cent, Nigeria and CAR by 7 per cent, and Iraq, Syria and Ukraine all increased by 6 percent. Meanwhile, no funding reports have been submitted to FTS by donors or implementing agencies for the Gambia HRP and the Yemen RRMRP, five months after these appeals were released.

• The Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) has received $245 million in contributions for 2016 thus far and is projecting $413 million in contributions this year, with a shortfall of $37 million from its annual funding target. CERF continues to provide fast, flexible and life-saving humanitarian aid in emerging crises and the world’s most neglected disasters. In May, CERF approved $18 million from the Rapid Response window to support emergency interventions for Ecuador – earthquake;
  Guinea – Ebola resurgence; Nigeria – Lassa fever outbreak; South Sudan – conflict; and Viet Nam – El Niño-related drought. As of end-May, CERF has allocated more than $216 million to 26 countries through the Rapid Response and Underfunded Emergencies windows.

• At the World Humanitarian Summit several leaders announced their support for the UN Secretary-General’s proposal for a $1 billion CERF. An expanded CERF will enable distribution of vital resources anywhere anytime a humanitarian catastrophe exists, in a manner commensurate with growing needs.

• Contributions to Country-based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) at the end of May 2016 stand at $284 million, of which $247 million have been allocated as follows: 42 per cent to UN agencies, 44 per cent to international NGOs and 13 per cent to national NGOs, with 1 per cent to Red Cross/Red Crescent societies.

As of 31 July 2016, UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP), Flash Appeals and Regional Refugee Plans as covered by the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$21.9 billion to meet the needs of 96.9 million people affected by humanitarian crises in 40 countries. The appeals are funded at $7.2 billion, with unmet requirements totalling $14.7 billion. Overall, donors have contributed $13.7 billion towards humanitarian operations in 2016 and pledged a further $814.4 million.

On 20 July, humanitarian partners launched an urgent appeal for $284 million to prepare for the humanitarian impact of the military operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It is vital that this amount is received promptly so that minimum preparedness measures can be put in place. In a worst-case scenario, nearly $1.8 billion may be required to assist up to 1.5 million people considered to be at risk.

Contributions are also urgently required to allow organizations to scale up or sustain operations in Syria and the region. Although the London conference earlier this year saw record-level pledges and $4.8 of the $ 6 billion pledged has been allocated, some donors have not yet allocated the funds pledged. The Syria Humanitarian Response Plan and the Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) are funded at 27 and 43 per cent respectively.

Additionally, UN country teams in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are seeking to scale up operations. These countries require $559 million to meet the emergency needs caused by the Lake Chad Basin crisis. Additional and timely donor support will be critical to mounting an effective response. Please see icon overleaf for information on other urgent funding needs.

For El Niño, globally Government or Humanitarian Country Team plans call for approximately $5 billion. The funding gap is about $3.3 billion. Over $600 million is required for Ethiopia alone and $2.7 billion for Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The Southern Africa Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee (RIASCO) launched a regional El Niño response plan which has three pillars: humanitarian, resilience and macro-financial. To address priority humanitarian needs, partners require $1.2 billion, of which $237 million has been contributed to date.

Meanwhile, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has received $273 million for 2016 as of the end of July, most of which have been directed to 35 countries for life-saving activities. In July alone, $21.6 million were disbursed to emergencies in seven countries - Iraq, Bangladesh, DRC, Malawi, Rwanda, Nigeria and Sudan. The second round of underfunded-emergencies window allocation of $50 million will be announced in August. Currently, the CERF secretariat anticipates a funding gap of $50 million of the $450 million annual target for 2016. New contributions are urgently required to secure adequate funding for future response.

So far in 2016, 17 Member States have contributed $385 million to country-based pooled funds (CBPFs). In turn, $301 million has been allocated to frontline responders: 20 per cent to national NGOs; 46 per cent to international NGOs; 33 per cent to UN agencies; 1 per cent to Red Cross / Crescent. OCHA manages 18 CBPFs in some of the world's worst crises, including Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. Allocations are decided upon through an in-country consultative process based on humanitarian needs and priorities.

Aid workers carry out life-saving often in dangerous and difficult circumstances. Over the past 16 years, 427 aid workers were killed, wounded or kidnapped in West and Central Africa. The number of victims follows a worrying upward trend with spikes in attacks recorded in recent years. Countries with the highest number of victims are the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Chad and Mali. The majority of victims were national staff, who account for the bulk of humanitarian workers and are often the most exposed to risks

As of 31 August 2016, UN-coordinated appeals and refugee response plans as covered by the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$21.7 billion to meet the needs of 95.4 million people affected by humanitarian crises in 40 countries. Global requirements are adjusted throughout the year as response plans are revised, both upwards and downwards, to reflect up-to-date needs.
The current decrease has resulted from revisions of plans for Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Yemen.

The Ethiopia Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) now requests $1.6 billion to respond to the needs of 9.7 million people affected by El Niño. In Afghanistan, there is a $54 million reduction in the overall ask from $393 to $339 million.

The reductions reflect funding constraints impacting the ability to implement programmes, realistic absorption capacity and capability to deliver in the coming six months. Humanitarian actors have reached 2.1 million people with aid. The HRP for Yemen now requires $1.6 billion to respond to the needs of 12.6 million people. Some 6.9 million people have received assistance in 22 Governorates.
Funding for the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and the Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) is at 34 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.

Although the London conference saw record-level pledges, disbursements are urgently required to allow organizations to scale up or sustain operations in Syria and the region. With the highly prioritised Iraq 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan only 53 per cent funded, operational partners have urgently appealed for additional $284 million to prepare for the humanitarian impact of the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The 2016 humanitarian response plans (HRPs) for Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon contain components to respond to the Lake Chad Basin crisis and have appealed for $559 million to scale up their operations. The Cadre Harmonisé report for August notes that 65,000 people in North-East Nigeria are experiencing famine, more than 1 million people are in emergency, while about 3.3 million are in crisis. Please see icon overleaf for information on other urgent funding needs.

Additionally, El Niño's impact on people’s food security and agricultural livelihoods, will continue through the next growing season, with the impact on health, nutrition, water and sanitation likely to grow throughout the year.
Eastern and Southern Africa are the most affected regions with the effects likely to last well into 2017. Some 23 countries have presented costed response plans with total requirements of $5 billion.

On 16 August, the Emergency Relief Coordinator released $50 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for severely underfunded aid operations in Yemen, the Democratic Republic Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, Rwanda and Eritrea [link]. The latest rapid response allocations include aid for Syrian refugees in Jordan and an allocation to Niger. CERF has allocated a total of $291 million in 2016 thus far. The Fund has received $345 million for 2016 as of the end of August, and continues to anticipate a funding gap of $50 million on the $450 million annual funding target.

Meanwhile, 18 Member States have contributed $465 million in 2016. OCHA manages 18 CBPFs in the world’s worst crises, where these funds have allocated $339 million to aid agencies: 19 per cent to national NGOs; 47 per cent to international NGOs; 34 per cent to UN agencies. CBPFs continue to be one of the largest direct sources of funding to local and national frontline responders.

As of 30 September 2016, UN-coordinated appeals and refugee response plans within the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$22 billion to meet the needs of 95 million humanitarian crisis-affected people in 40 countries. Together the appeals are funded at $9.4 billion, leaving a shortfall of $12.6 billion.

In September, two Flash Appeals were issued and requirements for several response plans were revised. The Afghanistan Flash Appeal was launched on 7 September, requesting $152 million to respond to the urgent needs of one million people "on the move" internally and across the border up to the end of 2016. The recent surge in displacement, mainly triggered by Afghans returning from Pakistan, has far surpassed 2016 humanitarian planning figures. On 15 September, the Libya Flash Appeal requesting $10.7 million by the end of the year was issued to provide urgent protection and life-saving assistance to 79,400 people in the Libyan city of Sirte.

Requirements for the Lake Chad Basin countries of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria were revised upwards this month. Some nine million people need humanitarian assistance in the region. In north-east Nigeria alone, around 6.3 million people are severely food insecure. Global acute malnutrition rates have reached 30-60 per cent in some areas. Country teams are scaling up operations and a review of the extent of humanitarian needs has revealed an escalation of unmet requirements for the year to $542 million.

In Iraq, less than half has been received of the $284 million required by the Mosul Flash Appeal to prepare for the humanitarian consequences of the military operation to retake Mosul. In Haiti, additional funds are urgently required to reinforce response teams in affected areas and to halt the rising spread of cholera. It is vital that the disease be contained, particularly as the hurricane season expected to begin in force in early October is likely to lead to additional humanitarian needs and financial requirements.

Since January 2016, the Central Emergency Response Fund has allocated $360 million to address urgent humanitarian needs in 43 countries – a sum exceeding total contributions so far this year of $345 million. In September, CERF disbursed $69 million to provide immediate, life-saving assistance in ten countries to 2.2 million people. A donor country recently contributed an additional $23.4 million to bridge the anticipated deficit of $50 million from the $450 million annual CERF funding target.

Meanwhile, 18 country-based pooled funds (CBPFs) have raised $473 million up to September 2016. In all, CBPFs have allocated $360 million to aid agencies this year: 18 per cent to national NGOs, 46 per cent to international NGOs, 35 per cent to UN agencies and 1 per cent to the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. CBPFs continue as one of the most substantial and direct sources of funding for the programmes of local and national frontline responders.

Only 2 out of 5 people in need will receive food security support with current funding levels.
In 2016, 92 million people were targeted through country and regional coordinated humanitarian appeals, of which 67 million are in need of food security interventions. They have been affected by conflicts, economic crises, and natural hazards and unable to meet minimum food intake requirements. For them food assistance and productive livelihoods-based interventions are an absolute necessity. As of 01 October 2016, US$ 2.9 billion were allocated by donors to address food security needs. This is 39 percent of the funding requirement this year alone.

Good coordination contributes to an effective response
Due to the scarcity of humanitarian funding, is critical that humanitarian operations are effective and efficient, making coordination even more important. Country-level Food Security Clusters/Sectors provide a space for partners to come together under an organized and focused approach, making the most of resources put towards food security operations. Co-led by WFP and FAO, Food Security Clusters develop humanitarian strategies and response plans that complement national authorities' efforts to address food insecurity on all levels.

41 countries with Food Security coordination solutions
This year the global Food Security Cluster is providing support through staff deployment, capacity building, technical backstopping, development of humanitarian policies, and robust information management to 27 countries with a food security cluster or cluster-like sector and the Pacific Islands Region (14 countries).

Priorities for the remaining months of 2016
Level 3 humanitarian crises: Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen equal to 21.2 million food insecure people.

El Nino affected people
Over 60 million people are still impacted by 18 months of unfavorable climatic conditions caused by El Nino that vanished several crop seasons and decimated livestock in Eastern Africa, SADC Region and Corredor Seco.
Countries meeting less than 10 percent of food security humanitarian needs
Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Guatemala, Libya, Niger and Senegal.
Countries meeting less than 30 percent of food security humanitarian needs
Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Honduras, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.

• As of 30 November 2016, UN-coordinated appeals and refugee response plans within the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$22.1 billion to meet the needs of 96.2 million humanitarian crisis-affected people in 40 countries. Together the appeals are funded at $11.4 billion, leaving a shortfall of $10.7 billion.

• In November, the funding requirements for the initial Flash Appeal for Haiti to respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs caused by Hurricane Matthew increased by $19 million, bringing the total to $139 million. The Flash Appeal targets the 750,000 people most in need of assistance until the end of the year. In Somalia, needs continue to rise due to drought, conflict, displacement and lack of basic services. Partners require $471 million before the end of the year to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities. Critical clusters such as food security, health, education and protection are all funded below 35 per cent.

• The Libyan Humanitarian Response Plan remains underfunded at 30 per cent. Only four out of 98 hospitals in Libya work at full capacity and the severe lack of funding has meant critical needs in the health sector continue to be unmet. Meanwhile, the Libya Flash Appeal which requests $10.7 million by the end of the year, is only 5 per cent funded. The appeal seeks to provide urgent protection and life-saving assistance to 79,400 people in the Libyan city of Sirte. Please see icon overleaf for information on other urgent funding needs.

• In 2016, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has disbursed $408 million to 47 countries. In November alone, almost $16 million was disbursed to four crises, including to assist 385,000 Afghan returnees from Pakistan, stranded Syrian refugees in the Berm, South Sudanese refugees in the CAR, and internally displaced persons in the Republic of Congo. CERF is currently projecting an income of nearly $425 million for 2016, which leaves a shortfall of $25 million on the $450 million funding target for this year. The CERF High-Level Pledging Conference for 2017 will be held on 13 December in New York and chaired by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

• Country-based pooled fund (CBPF) allocations, including planned allocations, in 2016 total $531 million to 369 partners through 1,010 projects. Some 18 per cent ($98 million) have gone to national NGOs; 45 per cent ($241.5 million) to international NGOs; 36 per cent ($189 million) to UN agencies and 0.5 per cent ($2.7 million) to the Red Cross/Red Crescent. CBPFs have been instrumental in supporting some 32 million people with health services, 14.7 million people with water and sanitation interventions and some 14.5 million people with nutritional support. Since January 2016, 18 Member States have contributed a total of $549 million for operations in 17 countries.

• As of 30 December 2016, the inter-agency coordinated appeals and refugee response plans within the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$22.1 billion -- an increase of 10 per cent since it was first launched twelve months ago -- to meet the needs of 96.2 million humanitarian crisis-affected people in 40 countries. By the end of 2016, $12.6 billion were raised towards the coordinated appeals -- more than ever before. Despite immense donor generosity, it is only 57 percent of the requirements committed, leaving a short fall of $9.5 billion. In comparison to 2015, the year closed with 53 percent coverage receiving $10.7 billion). In 2016, the bulk of the global requirements were for just four humanitarian crises: Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- all man-made conflicts.

• On 5 December, the 2017 Global Humanitarian Overview consolidated appeal was launched requiring $22.2 billion to meet the needs of 92.8 million most vulnerable people in 33 countries affected by crisis. New requirements for half of the appeals/response plans have increased, and are likely to increase throughout 2017.

• Two and an half months after Hurricane Matthew, reported funding for the Haiti Flash Appeal has increased over the last month with 62 per cent funded, leading a shortfall of $52.5 million still needed. There are limited resources to meet the basic needs of those evicted from temporary shelters, as well as the most vulnerable people in zones of return. The Flash Appeal requires $139 million to assist 750,000 people in need. Some sectors – protection (11%), early recovery (18%) and shelter (25%) – have been particularly poorly funded. Health is 18 % funded.

• In 2016, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has so far disbursed $437 million to 47 countries. In December, $18.4 million was allocated for immediate life-saving assistance to displaced families and host population in Mosul, Iraq. In addition, $3.5 million was approved to support 31,000 people facing forced eviction from temporary shelters following Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. In 2016 as reported so far, CERF received an income of $426.3 million, which is 95 per cent of the annual target. For 2017, at the CERF High-Level Conference on 13 December, thirty-three donors pledged approximately $273 million for next year, already close to 60 per cent of the annual target of $450 million. Some donors are yet to make announcements due to internal budgetary processes but are expected to pledge in early 2017.

• 2016 was a record year for Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) with 21 Member States contributing more than US$691 million for operations in 17 countries. The Iraq and Yemen Humanitarian Funds each received more than $100 million. The 17 CBPFs disbursed $662 million, enabling 370 organizations working across all clusters to deliver life-saving assistance targeting almost 100 million crisis-affected people. International NGOs received the most (46 per cent), followed by UN agencies (35 per cent), national NGOs (18 per cent) and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement (1 per cent).

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

VIOLENT CLASHES IN BRIA AND BAMBARI

Clashes between armed groups on the BriaIppy axis and in Bakala continue to affect the situation in Bria and Bambari, in the middle and eastern parts of the country. High insecurity impedes commercial and humanitarian convoys to go through this vital route. Civilians are fleeing towards Bria, where an increase in food prices is feared to further worsen the humanitarian situation. An interagency mission on 19 January established that 3,730 newly displaced persons had reached two spontaneous sites in Ippy. UNICEF, WHO and WFP have started providing support. In Bambari, the situation is likely to deteriorate as elements of armed groups continue to gather in anticipation of a possible return of violence.

IDP RETURNS THREATENED BY NEW ARMED GROUP IN BANGUI

The criminal activities of a newly-formed armed group in the 3rd district of Bangui are hampering the returns of IDPs from M’Poko IDP site. More than 14,000 IDPs are currently living at the site which was to be closed by the end of January 2017, according to the Government.

NIGER

2 KILLED IN BOKO HARAM ATTACK

On 22 January, two Nigerien soldiers were killed and seven injured by suspected Boko Haram elements in the village of Gueskerou, in the Diffa region. The attack did not result in new population displacement or the suspension of humanitarian activities. The region of Diffa has recorded over 440 civilians killed, injured or abducted in the departments of Bosso, Diffa, Goudoumaria, Mainé Soroa and Nguigmi, since the first Boko Haram attacks on Nigerien soil in February 2015.

NIGERIA

DOZENS KILLED IN ACCIDENTAL BOMBING BY NIGERIAN FORCES

On 17 January, a Nigerian military jet accidentally bombed a site in Rann locality,
Borno state. The site hosts more than 43,000 internally displaced people. At least 90 civilians, including six Nigerian Red Cross workers, were killed and more than 100 others injured. UNHAS helicopters were immediately deployed to evacuate victims to Maiduguri, the state capital, and transport medical supplies and doctors to Rann. The emergency response continues.

THE GAMBIA

RETURNS AFTER POLITICAL CRISIS ENDS

The political crisis in The Gambia came to an end on 21 January as former President Yahya Jammeh left the country. The winner of the December election, Adama Barrow, was sworn in on 19 January at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar. He is expected to return to The Gambia in the coming days. Since the end of the crisis, Gambians are returning from neighbouring Senegal from both the North and South bank border crossings.
Free buses have been dispatched by the Gambian Immigration Services and National Disaster Management Agency. More than 45,000 persons had fled to Senegal, according to the authorities. Food assistance has been provided, and humanitarian partners continue to monitor the situation close to the border.

RÉPUBLIQUE CENTRAFRICAINE

VIOLENTS AFFRONTEMENTS À BRIA ET BAMBARI

Les affrontements entre groupes armés sur l'axe Bria-Ippy et à Bakala continuent d'affecter la situation à Bria et Bambari, dans le centre et l'est du pays. Une forte insécurité empêche les convois commerciaux et humanitaires de traverser cette route vitale. Les civils fuient vers Bria, où l'on craint qu’une hausse des prix des produits alimentaires n’aggrave davantage la situation humanitaire. Le 19 janvier, une mission inter institutions a établi que 3 730 personnes nouvellement déplacées avaient atteint deux sites spontanés à Ippy. L'UNICEF, l'OMS et le PAM ont commencé à apporter leur soutien. À Bambari, la situation risque de se détériorer à mesure que des éléments des groupes armés continueront de se rassembler en prévision d'un possible retour de la violence.

LES DÉPLACÉS SONT MENACÉS PAR UN NOUVEAU GROUPE ARMÉ À BANGUI

Les activités criminelles d'un groupe armé nouvellement formé dans le 3ème district de Bangui entravent le retour des personnes déplacées au site de M'Poko. Plus de 14 000 personnes déplacées vivent actuellement sur le site qui devrait être fermé d'ici la fin janvier 2017, selon le gouvernement.

NIGER

Le 22 janvier, deux soldats nigériens ont été tués et sept blessés par des éléments présumés de Boko Haram dans le village de Gueskerou, dans la région de Diffa. L'attaque n'a pas entraîné de nouveaux déplacements de population ni la suspension des activités humanitaires. La région de Diffa a enregistré de nombreuses victimes civiles dans les départements de Bosso, Diffa, Goudoumaria, Mainé Soroa et Nguigmi. Plus de 440 personnes auraient été tuées, blessées ou enlevées depuis les premières attaques de Boko Haram sur le sol nigérien en février 2015.

NIGERIA

DES DIZAINES DE PERSONNES TUÉES DANS DES BOMBARDEMENTS ACCIDENTELS

Le 17 janvier, un avion militaire nigérian en mission pour combattre Boko Haram a accidentellement bombardé la localité de Rann, dans l'état de Borno. Le site accueille plus de 43 000 personnes déplacées. Au moins 90 personnes, dont six travailleurs de la Croix-Rouge nigériane, ont été tuées et plus de 100 autres blessées. Des hélicoptères UNHAS ont été immédiatement déployés pour évacuer les victimes vers Maiduguri, la capitale de l'État, et transporter des fournitures médicales et des médecins à Rann. La réponse d'urgence continue.

GAMBIE

RETOURS DE PERSONNES DÉPLACÉES APRÈS LA FIN DE LA CRISE POLITIQUE

La crise politique en Gambie a pris fin le 21 janvier avec le départ en exil de l'ancien président Yahya Jammeh. Le gagnant de l'élection présidentielle de décembre, Adama Barrow, a prêté serment le 19 janvier à l'ambassade de Gambie à Dakar, au Sénégal. Il devrait rentrer en Gambie dans les prochains jours. Depuis la fin de la crise, les Gambiens reviennent du Sénégal voisin en passant par les frontières nord et sud. Des autocars gratuits ont été expédiés par les Services d'immigration de la Gambie et l'Agence nationale de gestion des catastrophes. Plus de 45 000 personnes ont fui au Sénégal, selon les autorités. L'aide alimentaire a été fournie dans les zones accueillant la plupart des déplacés et les partenaires humanitaires continuent de surveiller la situation à proximité de la frontière.

An estimated 1 million women live with obstetric fistula, a devastating consequence of prolonged obstructed labor, and thousands of new case develop each year. Life-restoring treatment for women with fistula is available at the health facilities on this map

• As of 31 January, United Nations Coordinated Appeals and Refugee Response Plans within the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$22.5 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of 93.5 million crisis-affected people in 33 countries. Needs and financial requirements have increased due the finalisation of five additional Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs). Seventeen HRPs have been published so far. Together the appeals are funded at $77.2 million, leaving a shortfall of $22.4 billion.

• Timely funding is required to meet pressing needs in several countries. In Afghanistan, deepening conflict has resulted in a 13 per cent increase in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, now at 9.3 million people. Funding is urgently required early in the year to support the return of Afghans from Pakistan and of others displaced by conflict. Some 2.2 million people, or almost half the population of Central African Republic (CAR), urgently require humanitarian assistance, amid continuing insecurity and a steep decline in funding. Humanitarian partners are withdrawing from central CAR because of funding shortages and in the absence of funding, agencies may be forced to suspend food distributions in February.

• Continued low funding is hampering humanitarian partners’ ability to respond to the humanitarian needs of an estimated 3.7 million people in Mali. In Nigeria, aid organizations require funding to step up life-saving assistance in areas previously held by Boko Haram, where new needs are being revealed. In Somalia, drought-driven food insecurity and malnutrition could plummet to "famine" levels in the coming months. A new drought in the lowlands and in southern and eastern parts of Ethiopia is placing some 5.6 million Ethiopians at risk of hunger, threatening 300,000 children with malnutrition, over 9 million people with zero access to safe drinking water and 2.4 million farmers and herders with unsustainable livelihoods.
  Please see icon overleaf for information on other urgent funding needs.

• In January, the Emergency Relief Coordinator released $100 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to sustain aid operations in critically underfunded operations in Cameroon, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia and Uganda. These allocations will reach more than 6 million alarmingly vulnerable people in the throes of poorly funded crises. CERF also allocated $1.1 million to Mongolia to provide emergency agricultural and multi-purpose cash assistance for 3,500 herder households living the consequences of a particularly harsh winter. A further $6 million was allocated to the CAR to provide emergency food assistance to 36,800 people recently displaced by violence. CERF received $14.8 million in contributions for 2017, with $255.5 million in pledges.

• In 2017, OCHA aims to increase the amount of humanitarian appeal funding channelled through Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs) to 15 per cent, in keeping with the UN Secretary-General’s Agenda for Humanity. As of 31 January, seven countries had already pledged a combined $65 million to CBPFs, including $25.3 million for the Syria crisis (through CBPFs in Jordan, Syria and Turkey) and $24.4 million for Afghanistan.

The interactive map, found at https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/assessments/map, allows you to check if assessments have taken place in certain locations, if they are planned or ongoing and if something has already happened in a specific sector. The interactive global Assessment registry is built from assessments uploaded on humanitarianresponse.info by OCHA, the cluster leads and humanitarian partners. You can filter by country, cluster, organization and date. Whenever available, you can download an assessment’s report, questionnaire and/or data.

Currently, there are more than 3,000 assessments in the registry from past and present emergencies. You may contribute to the registry in the future by making your planned, ongoing and past assessment data available. Simply contact info@humanitarianresponse.info if you would like an assessment added.