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WASHINGTON (April 23, 2024)—The result of today’s Senate vote is the U.S. Congress’ passage of the supplemental appropriations bill, which includes $9.15 billion in additional humanitarian assistance. In response, Christy Gleason, Vice President for Policy, Advocacy and Campaign at Save the Children, said:

“��ɫ��Ƶthanks Congress for coming together to support $9.15 billion in emergency humanitarian assistance in the supplemental appropriations package. Today’s vote can literally mean the difference between life or death, food or hunger, safety or violence for millions of children around the world.

“The appropriated money can be used to save lives in Sudan, where 8 million people, including 4 million children, have been displaced by a year of conflict.

“These additional resources could also be used to restore food rations in places like Yemen, where they were cut in half.

“Today, the United States proved it can be a leader for children’s wellbeing. It must also maintain its leadership in humanitarian assistance by ensuring that support is distributed based only on need. This is the accepted standard for principled and impactful foreign aid.

"��ɫ��Ƶremains concerned about suspension of funding for UNRWA. Over 14 thousand of the 1.1 million children in Gaza have been killed and another 12,000 children have been injured. Children in Gaza are also dying as the result of malnutrition and disease.  Lifesaving supplies that could be used to treat malnourished and sick children are being delayed and denied entry into the Strip. Once inside, aid still cannot reach many children—especially those in the north, where humanitarian conditions are worst. UNRWA is irreplaceable and depriving it of critical funding risks the complete collapse of any semblance of a humanitarian response in Gaza and across the region. Every child, wherever they are and whoever they are, has a right to access humanitarian assistance.”

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