US seeks UN humanitarian boost to $13b amid refugee crisis

The US State Department says the aim would be to obtain an increase in funding from $10 billion

DAVOS: The United States will seek a 30 per cent increase in UN humanitarian funding this year at a UN summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama in response to the global refugee crisis, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.

The US State Department said the aim would be to obtain an increase in funding from $10 billion in 2015 to $13 billion this year at the summit to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.



In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kerry said the summit would also seek to increase the number of regular humanitarian donor countries by 10 and to at least double the number of refugees who are resettled or allowed other safe and legal channels of admission. It would also seek to increase the number of countries admitting refugees by 10, he said.