The Facts
On Thursday, the UN and its partners launched an appeal for a record $51.5B in aid money for 2023, as the intergovernmental organization estimates that 339M people across 68 countries will need some form of emergency assistance next year.
Due to the "extreme events" that occurred in 2022, the UN predicts that an extra 65M people compared to last year will be pushed into crisis amid climate emergencies, the war in Ukraine, and the worst global food crisis in modern history.
The Spin
Narrative A
Without adequate funding, the crises we've seen in 2022 will only get worse in 2023. Numerous countries have been hit by deadly droughts and floods, from Pakistan to the Horn of Africa, and the war in Ukraine has turned a part of Europe into a battlefield, creating food insecurity among the world's poorest. It's time to act.
Narrative B
Over the last few years, the world has moved from crisis to crisis, and funding has failed to keep up. While important, money is only one part of the equation: Rather than treating the symptoms, there also needs to be a concerted effort to address the root causes of the globe's emergencies, which capital alone fails to do.
