Some 14.29 million dollars are needed to “help the UN to act in emergency situations”. This is what emerges from the international appeal launched Monday by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) for 2023-2024.
According to the UN, this appeal will enable the Department to respond to security needs around the world, with the right capabilities, at the right time and in the right place.
Over the past decade, the environment in which the UN and its partners operate has grown in complexity as personnel face increasingly serious threats, the UN said, noting that UN operations are currently located in 50 places classified as presenting a high threat, compared to 5 in 2005.
The UN department observed that its resources have become insufficient with the proliferation of crises in recent years and, as a result, the increasing demands for support to UN operations.
Under this two-year appeal, DSS is seeking voluntary contributions from the international community to build its capacity in four critical areas, namely emergency response; information management; psychosocial support; and advocacy, evidence and learning.
The UN press service clarified in this regard that “activities in these areas are underfunded and represent the most acute and urgent needs of the Department, while they allow to strengthen collaboration within the United Nations and to achieve collective results that reduce the vulnerability of populations in the areas of operations”.
Quoting the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, Gilles Michaud, the same source stressed “the successful implementation of the appeal will ensure that when emergencies arise, the DSS can not only demonstrate flexibility and speed, but also to react with the right capacities at the right time and in the right place”.