One in 29 people worldwide needs humanitarian assistance, the United Nations said on Thursday, as underfunded aid agencies struggle to keep pace with rising human suffering driven by the climate crisis, Covid-19 impacts and conflict.

The number of people in need continues to rise “at an alarming rate”, with a total of 274 million people expected to require humanitarian assistance next year — up 17 per cent from 2020.

Growing numbers of people are battling hunger and extreme poverty in part as a result of more extreme weather, such as Hurricanes Eta and Iota that hit Central America last year, and a drought in Afghanistan that is the worst in 27 years, UN officials said.

This year the “climate crisis reached boiling point,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the launch of an appeal for $41 billion to provide life-saving assistance next year to a record 183 million people — those considered most at need.

But aid requirements continue to outpace funding, he said in a video address during an online event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think-tank.

John J. Hamre, CSIS president, said climate change impacts are “running rampant” around the world.

“The humanitarian response is not keeping up — it is failing to deal with these great challenges,” he said.

Read the full article about the humanitarian crisis amidst the pandemic by the Thomson Reuters Foundation at Eco-Business.