United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced this Saturday the allocation of $250 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the largest to date, to “reach the world’s most vulnerable people.” and prevent hunger.”

It will help people in 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. According to a CERF statement released today, these eight countries are home to more than 20 million people who are very close to starvation.

In addition, the funds will boost humanitarian assistance in Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Pakistan and Sudan “to address food insecurity and the effects of climate change and the protracted crisis.”

“Right now, 339 million people around the world are in need of humanitarian assistance, which is 25% more than last year,” Guterres emphasized.

Last year, the UN and its partners reached nearly 160 million people, but the United Nations warns that “growing humanitarian needs are rapidly outstripping response capacity.”

“While this new infusion of funds will strengthen humanitarian operations in 19 emergencies, the UN emphasizes the need for earlier funding and calls on donors to replenish CERF so that resources can reach the growing number of people in need. “, the message says.