U.N. SEEKS $1B FOR TURKEY QUAKE SURVIVORS
The United Nations launched a $1 billion appeal Thursday to help 5.2 million survivors of the most devastating earthquake in Turkey’s modern history, two days after starting a $397 million appeal to help nearly 5 million Syrians across the border in the rebel-held northwest.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric was peppered with questions about why the appeal for Turkey is targeted at only 5.2 million people when according to the U.N. and the government more than 15 million people were affected. He also was asked why the appeal for Turkey is 2 times larger than the one for Syria to help almost the same number of people.
He said the Turkish appeal “was designed in very close cooperation with the government of Turkey, which is leading the relief efforts.”
“This is the number they came up with for the focus on people who need the most humanitarian aid, most quickly, and where the U.N. can be most effective,” Dujarric said. He said Turkey has “a very efficient search and rescue and humanitarian system.”
As for the disparity in the amount of the appeals, he said, part of the reason is that “there is already a wellestablished humanitarian community which has been working in Syria,” and before the quake there was a $4.8 billion humanitarian appeal for Syria for 2023.
“So there’s already a humanitarian pot of money that exists for Syria, which did not exist for Turkey,” he said.
Both appeals are for emergency funds for the next three months, and will be followed by fresh appeals for longer-term help.
U.N. Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres said the money will allow aid groups to rapidly scale up support for government-led relief efforts, including providing food, protection, education, water and shelter to survivors of the magnitude 7.8 quake on Feb. 6 that devastated southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. Tens of thousands have been reported dead, and millions have been left homeless.