UN appeals for funds as Somalia and South Sudan face deepening humanitarian needs; CERF and peacebuilding allocations announced

The United Nations used a May 3 press briefing to press donors to fill severe financing gaps for humanitarian operations in Somalia and South Sudan and announced small, targeted allocations from UN emergency funds.

Tom Fletcher, the UN humanitarian coordinator referenced in the briefing, urged donors to provide urgent funding for Somalia, where the UN said about 2,000,000 people face emergency levels of food insecurity and some rely on a single meal a day. The UN's hyper-prioritized humanitarian plan for Somalia requested $852,000,000 but had only been 13% funded at the time of the briefing, Steph said.

The spokesperson said more than 300 health facilities in Somalia have shut or become nonfunctional because of funding cuts, mobile health teams have been disbanded and many people have lost access to essential care.

In South Sudan, Steph said nearly 10,000,000 people will need humanitarian assistance this year. The $1,500,000,000 humanitarian appeal for South Sudan had received $351,000,000 (less than one quarter) so far.

The briefing included several targeted funding moves: the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund approved $2,500,000 for an initiative in The Gambia to strengthen trust, public accountability and civic space; and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated $2,500,000 for responses to Tropical Cyclone Mylia in the Solomon Islands and $1,000,000 for immediate assistance in Micronesia.

Why it matters: Large unmet appeals in Somalia and South Sudan translate into closed health facilities, reduced mobile teams, and increased risk of life-threatening food insecurity for millions; the smaller CERF and peacebuilding disbursements provide short-term relief but do not close the broader financing gap.

What's next: The UN urged donors to increase contributions to avoid the shutdown of aid programs; the briefing said humanitarian actors are prioritizing support to the worst-affected communities while continuing to press for access and funding.