‘38% of global population in need of humanitarian aid’
This region of over half a billion people is home to 38% of the global population in need of humanitarian aid, accounting for over 140mn people, according to Dr Ahmed al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
“This is my last media briefing before the year ends, and I am speaking to you today with the heaviest heart as I, like all of us here, witness unimaginable suffering,” Dr Mandhari said.
“These numbers represent the everyday tragedies experienced by the people of Syria, Afghanistan and Morocco after earthquakes, the lived horrors of the people of Libya after catastrophic flooding, drought in the Horn of Africa, rapidly worsening conflict in Sudan and, of course, the humanitarian crises in Gaza that continues to unfold with unprecedented brutality.”
He informed that last week that the WHO Executive Board held a special emergency session on the health situation in the occupied Palestinian territory at the request of 17 member states. It was the first time since the conflict began that the international community reached consensus on the situation in Gaza, issuing a resolution that calls for immediate, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian aid.
Despite this and the continuous efforts of UN Security-general António Guterres and humanitarian actors around the world, “the brutal violence is relentless and continues unabated,” he added. It is only possible to adequately respond to the needs of the people once this conflict comes to an immediate halt.
The WHO, Dr Mandhari informed, has consistently called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. A recent World Food Programme assessment said over 90% of households go to bed hungry and 63% spend an entire day without food.
“I plead for humanity to prevail and reiterate WHO’S call for protecting healthcare workers and humanitarian assistance in the area. No one should bleed to death, and no one should die waiting for the few doctors remaining after too many have been killed.
“Despite the helplessness of our times, I insist on hope, and conclude with hopes for our region and its people to live a life of safety, dignity and prosperity. The Eastern Mediterranean Region deserves the compassion of the world and the global community to see the people of our region as people, not numbers that change on television screens.”
The region deserves the compassion of the world and the global community to see the people of our region as people, not numbers that change on television screens