IRIN: Emergency aid funding fell in 2017, even as Syria/Yemen wars drove needs higher
“The numbers are in: 2017 was another costly year for humanitarian aid donors, but despite huge needs in Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and elsewhere, funding levels have stagnated. In 2017, preliminary U.N. figures show a drop in relief funding of $1.56 billion, or seven percent, against 2016, despite rising needs. Funding levels continue to be heavily reliant on the United States and the European Union, while an inner circle of 13 aid agencies commands two thirds of spending. Confirmed 2017 funding reported to the U.N.’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS) was $21.3 billion, down from $22.9 billion in 2016…” (Parker, 5/15).