The UN emergency relief chief, Tom Fletcher, on Wednesday condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” cost of the war in the Middle East.

Mr Fletcher said the cost of the war was unreasonable at a time when humanitarian needs are soaring, and aid funding is falling dangerously short.

“We’re seeing the consequences spread faster than we can respond”, the UN emergency relief chief warned, as violence reverberates across borders, causing mass displacement and economic shocks.

Speaking in Geneva, the UN’s top humanitarian aid official said, “This is a moment of grave peril.”

He warned that without additional support, “millions of people will die”.

The $23 billion appeal announced in December by the UN aid coordinator to help 87 million of the world’s most vulnerable people remains around two-thirds underfunded.

Although the number of people in need of assistance globally far exceeds the 87 million identified, Mr Fletcher explained that these were the people “in greatest need”.

“We still need over $14 billion now to deliver this plan, and this is at a time when conflict in the Middle East is costing $1 billion a day,” he said. “Even just $1 billion would allow us to save millions of lives.”

Noting the urgent need to adapt humanitarian relief as crises intensify around the world, Mr Fletcher added that Gaza and Sudan are “at the very top of that list” in terms of funding needs.

His comments come amid growing concerns about the impact of the March 2 closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor on civilians in the most affected areas.

With the corridor accounting for 20 per cent of the world’s oil, Mr Fletcher restated the impact on global food, energy, and fertiliser costs.

He said the global community’s priority should be protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

He also urged member states to help protect humanitarian efforts in the region, after the recent deaths of humanitarian aid workers in Sudan, Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

(NAN)