UNITED NATIONS, Nov 30: As he launched the yearly UN Humanitarian Appeal, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday called upon donors to provide $4.7 billion for urgent support to 31 million people in 26 countries stricken by war, natural disasters, drought and a combination of such scourges.

Saying that the past year, with the response to the Indian Ocean tsunami and American hurricanes, demonstrated a tremendous capacity for giving, Mr Annan stressed that the appeal ‘is an opportunity, which must not be missed, to extend that generosity to people whose plight may not capture the world’s attention, but whose suffering is no less tragic.’

“In a world of plenty, continued suffering is a terrible stain on our conscience,” he added, describing the ‘unimaginable’ conditions of survivors of catastrophes, who have no access to clean water, food, shelter, health care or other necessities.

He called for efforts not only to alleviate immediate suffering, but also to identify and address long-term needs of the sufferers.

The “Humanitarian Appeal 2006” comprises consolidated appeals for relief projects of UN agencies and NGOs for Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Palestinian territory, Republic of Congo, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the Great Lakes region and the West African region.

“Flash appeals,” which are released in response to sudden onset emergencies during the year, are not included in the Humanitarian Appeal.