ReliefWeb

The requirements for the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2020 reached $39.76 billion for 63 countries by the end of July.
This is a significant increase from the $28.8 billion published on 4 December 2019. The increase is due to various updates and changes during the first six months of the year, and the Global Response Plan for COVID-19 (GHRP) published on 25 March and updated on 7 May and again on 17 July.
The change in requirements since last month is due to the addition of COVID-19 requirements under the GHRP for Djibouti, Ecuador, Horn of Africa and Yemen, Kenya, Republic of Congo,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia and new overall requirements for famine prevention and NGO response. The GHRP update also included COVID-19 related increases in the requirements for Burkina Faso, Burundi, Haiti, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen, and the COVID-19 plans for Bangladesh, Colombia, DPRK, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines and Sierra Leone. Requirements have decreased in Cameroon,
Chad, DR Congo, and the Syria 3RP.3 As of the end of July, funding for the plans included in the GHO had reached $9.96 billion, or 25 per cent of total requirements.
This is $2.33 billion more than at the end of June, primarily due to funding for the COVID-19 GHRP. Total GHO funding, including the GHRP, is approximately $2.2 billion higher this year than at the same time in 2019 - $9.96 billion versus $7.76 billion. At the same time, requirements have grown significantly, with current requirements $13.62 billion greater than at the same time last year. The percentage of needs covered (25 per cent) is lower now than in July 2019 (30 per cent). Until the GHRP was updated in July, GHO coverage in 2020 was on par with coverage at the same time last year.
An additional $5.61 billion has been reported for activities outside the GHO or is awaiting allocation, bringing the total reported humanitarian funding to $15.56 billion, which is $2.69 billion higher than the $12.87 billion reported one month ago.4 Total reported humanitarian funding in 2020 is currently much higher than at the end of July 2019 – $15.56 billion as compared to $12.23 billion. While it is too early to know how total 2020 funding will compare to 2019, the quick disbursement of funding and additional allocations made for COVID-19 are positive points.
As of end July, the plans in the GHO, including the GHRP, aimed to provide assistance to 249.6 million of the 405.7 million people in need. This significant increase is due to the addition of countries facing humanitarian impacts of COVID-19 and its associated health and socio-economic shocks, as well as the increases in both COVID and non-COVID needs in countries with existing inter-agency coordinated plans.
A high-level humanitarian event, including a resource mobilization component, for the Central Sahel (Burkina Faso,
Mali and Niger) will take place in the fall. The event, co-hosted by the United Nations (led by OCHA and UNDP) together with Denmark, Germany, and the European Union (ECHO), will take place in two parts. A virtual Senior Officials Meeting is scheduled for 8 September, followed by a Ministerial Roundtable on 20 October.
Ahead of the conference, a short document will be issued by the United Nations, summarizing the needs and responses in all three countries with respect to protection and humanitarian assistance, while also outlining the required interlinkages with longer-term development efforts and policy action in support of lasting solutions.