The United Nations and the United States formalized an Agreement under which the US committed $2 billion in humanitarian assistance for global relief programmes

Speaking at yesterday’s signing ceremony in Geneva Switzerland, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher paid tribute to humanitarian workers operating under increasingly difficult conditions, describing the past year as a very tough year for everyone engaged in humanitarian action

Despite the challenges, he said the Agreement offered grounds for optimism, hailing it as a commitment to saving lives amid escalating humanitarian needs worldwide

The Agreement covers 17 crisis-affected countries including: Guatemala, Ukraine, Haiti, Nigeria, South Sudan, Mozambique, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Bangladesh, as well as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.