Denmark answers UN call for aid money
Denmark has allocated a total of DKK 25 million to emergency aid for Lebanon and Gaza
Following a consolidated appeal by the UN to raise funds for humanitarian aid efforts in Lebanon, Ulla Tørnaes, development aid minister, announced that Denmark would be making a total contribution of DKK 225 million.
Last week Tørnaes announced a DKK 4 million contribution to the humanitarian projects entering full swing in conflict-riddled Lebanon. Following the appeal, she topped the Danish contribution off with an additional DKK 19 million.
Tørnaes appealed to parties on both sides of the conflict to ensure a safe corridor for delivery of all aid shipments entering the war-torn area.
'If humanitarian aid is not delivered quickly, there is a very real risk of a humanitarian catastrophe,' Tørnaes said in a ministry statement late Tuesday.
Tørnaes earmarked DKK 383 million specifically to the Gaza-strip area of Palestine, where the already unstable situation has been aggravated by the conflict.
'We mustn't forget the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population continues to suffer as a result of the escalated violence.'
The aid money will be shared between some 20 UN agencies and Danish relief organisations. The first contribution went directly to the Danish Red Cross.
Tørnaes said she would continue to monitor the situation and will consider further humanitarian aid should the situation warrant it.
The European Commission, meanwhile, has made its first humanitarian contribution of DKK 75 million.