National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Host Scott Simon spoke to World Refugee & Migration Council Chair Ninette Kelley about the condition of people displaced by war in Iran and the impact on countries in the region on Saturday, March 21. Listen to the full interview on NPR below or on the NPR website:
“[There are] millions more people who are in need of humanitarian assistance — people who are wounded, who are dispossessed, who are unhoused. And it comes at a time when international humanitarian assistance has been slashed. As I’m sure you know, the U.S. announced last year that it was cutting international funding for international aid agencies by 75%,” said Kelley.
“So this has really hobbled humanitarian agencies and their ability to respond to these crises. We’ve also got a situation of the war disrupting air and shipping travel routes. Fuel costs are going up. And this affects the humanitarian system in profound ways as well because it increases the cost and inhibits the ability to get aid to affected populations, whether they be in the Middle East or elsewhere.”
