The United Nation's $1 billion humanitarian appeal to support and provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Türkiye after last month’s devastating earthquakes has only been 13% funded, the organization's spokesperson said Monday.
The U.N. launched the billion-dollar appeal for Türkiye on Feb. 16 to assist more than 5 million people affected by the earthquakes.
Stephane Dujarric, the U.N.'s spokesperson, provided the percentage figure when asked by Anadolu Agency (AA).
The stated funding covers a three-month period that will allow aid organizations to rapidly scale up vital support in areas that include food security, protection, education, water and shelter, it was noted by U.N.
The death toll from powerful earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye on Feb. 6 has risen to 48,448, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said at a news conference in quake-hit Malatya province along with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy on Monday.
Over 13.5 million people in the country have been affected by the powerful tremors that rocked 11 provinces – Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa and Elazığ.
Neighboring Syria also suffered massive damage, reporting at least 6,000 dead in its northwestern regions.
