UN seeks to double aid budget for Iran after conflict

The top UN official in Iran announced on July 1st that the organisation must double its humanitarian and development aid budget for the nation in the wake of the recent conflict with Israel, as reported by The New Arab plus agencies.

Stefan Priesner, the UN resident coordinator in Iran, urged the international community to increase financial support. “We are now doing the budgeting” for 2025, he stated during a press briefing in Geneva. “It’s a significant increase,” he added. “It’s a bit early to say how much we exactly need. But we certainly would expect a doubling of the funding.”

The UN allocated $75 million to Iran last year, dividing around $50 million for refugee assistance and $25 million for development programme. Iran currently hosts approximately 3.5 million refugees, the highest number globally, most of whom come from Afghanistan.

Priesner, speaking from Tehran, expressed hope that the international community would treat aid and development as a distinct issue. He believes the recent conflict should prompt a stronger global commitment to support Iran.

On June 13th, Israel launched a large-scale bombing campaign against Iran, killing high-ranking military commanders and nuclear scientists. The strikes targeted military bases, nuclear facilities, and civilian areas. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities. A ceasefire began on June 24th.

In 2022, the UN and the Iranian government signed a five-year agreement covering public health, socio-economic strength, environmental protection, disaster management, and drug control. The UN now holds discussions with Tehran to revise the programme to reflect needs arising from the conflict.

Priesner suggested that the UN typically maintains 50 international staff in Iran and around 500 local staff. Although some personnel and their families had to evacuate when Israeli airstrikes began, operations returned to normal on June 29th.

The New Arab plus agencies, Maghrebi.org