The UN is facing this year an unprecedented shortage of funds for the delivery of humanitarian assistance around the world, spokesman of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Jens Laerke said at a briefing on Friday. 
 
"The shortfall is currently more than $33 billion... So this is the largest gap we have ever had," Laerke said, answering a question on the funding of UN humanitarian programs. 

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UNOCHA's needs to provide humanitarian aid around the globe in 2022 amount to $48.7 billion and only $15 billion have been acquired of that sum, he added. 

Despite the funding shortfall, the money already received by the UN is the biggest amount of donor funding that has ever been collected, Laerke said, adding that the needs are outpacing the funding that is being received. 
 
He noted that the needed $48.7 billion in funding cover all the UN-coordinated appeals, including the annual humanitarian response plans, crises flash appeals, and regional appeals for refugees. The plans include the work of all UN humanitarian agencies and international and national NGOs.

Nonetheless, these appeals do not comprise the projects of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the global level as the ICRC has its own appeal process. 

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Laerke added that the main factors that aggravate the humanitarian situation in the world are climate change, armed conflicts, and the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.