The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Friday that the ongoing Middle East war has sharply increased freight costs, hindering the delivery of critical aid to refugees across the region and in Africa.
Shipping rates from UNHCR's three main source countries for emergency supplies – India, Pakistan and China – have shot up by nearly 18%, the agency said, while delivery delays and port congestion are also having an impact.
Every extra dollar spent on fuel and higher war-risk shipping insurance premiums is a dollar less that can be spent in the field, UNHCR added.
"The Middle East crisis has generated far-reaching ripple effects well beyond the region, with growing consequences for global humanitarian supply chains and the delivery of aid," spokeswoman Carlotta Wolf told a press conference in Geneva.
While freight rates have surged, the capacity of UNHCR's usual transport providers to respond to its requests has dropped from 97% at the start of the year to 77%.
