Ovum: Telcos must upgrade legacy revenue management systems in order to capitalize on next-gen opportunities

Melbourne. Competition, market consolidation, and customer demands are forcing telcos into drastic action, and improving revenue management systems ranks high on their list of IT priorities, according to global analyst firm Ovum. Telcos are feeling the pressure to offer more robust services, become digital service providers, and even collaborate with third-party service providers; however, they are limited by legacy revenue management systems.According to the latest Ovum report*, 60% of telcos state they have 50 or more revenue management systems supporting operations. Over the next year, telcos will focus on upgrading their revenue management systems through major transformation projects, and will focus on restructuring roaming tariffs, consolidating systems, and adding convergence and real-time charging capabilities.In its “Telecoms Billing Market Landscape: Challenges and Priorities” report, Ovum discusses the results of the survey, assessing the challenges that telcos are facing with their existing billing systems and their priorities for selecting a new billing solution and vendor.Chantel Cary, author of the report and Ovum analyst, commented: “The telecoms industry now has to move at Internet speed. Customers are always online or interacting with a connected device and this is changing their expectations of their telco service providers.”
Telcos, however, are hindered by legacy systems that are incapable of handling the new demands of the industry. The next-gen telco will be expected to offer a wide array of physical and virtual goods and services from third-party providers; dynamically change service settings, tariffs, and pricing bundles in real time for different subscriber types; and provide this information on the same bill.
“For telcos to get to this point, they will need to make significant investments into improving their revenue management systems; therefore, we anticipate approximately 15% of telcos’ overall IT budget over the next 18 months to be allocated toward revenue management systems,” said Cary.As telcos begin to upgrade and replace components of revenue management systems, they will be specifically looking for solutions that provide essential capabilities such as convergence of fixed, mobile, physical, and virtual services, and subscriber types; real-time charging capabilities for postpaid subscribers; scalability; and integration with other key systems such as CRM.“Placing parts of the revenue management systems into the cloud is also a priority for telcos, with 55% stating that they will use private or hybrid cloud to host their revenue management systems over the next year. As a result, we see large BSS suites and managed services providers as best positioned to win telco revenue management business,” concluded Cary.
Ovum is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. Through its 180 analysts worldwide it offers expert analysis and strategic insight across the IT, telecoms, and media industries. Founded in 1985, Ovum has one of the most experienced analyst teams in the industry and is a respected source of guidance for technology business leaders, CIOs, vendors, service providers, and regulators looking for comprehensive, accurate, and insightful market data, research, and consulting. With 23 offices across six continents, Ovum offers a truly global perspective on technology and media markets and provides thousands of clients with insight including workflow tools, forecasts, surveys, market assessments, technology audits, and opinion. In 2012, Ovum was jointly named Global Analyst Firm of the Year by the IIAR. Ovum is a division of Informa plc, one of the leading business and academic publishing and event organizers globally, headquartered in London. Informa is quoted on the London Stock Exchange.

Emir of Kano highlights how Islamic finance can help responsible financial system benefit those who rely on it the most

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA His Royal Highness Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II (Emir of Kano) is one of many dignitaries to deliver an address at the Responsible Finance Summit, which the RFI Foundation is organising and Bank Negara Malaysia is hosting on 30-31 March 2016 in Kuala Lumpur.One of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, the Emir possesses a profile that can be considered unique in the financial world in Africa. A banker by training who secured Nigeria’s top banking post, Emir Sanusi has used the worldwide recognition he gained for continued advocacy of developing a financial sector that is ethically sound and serves wider segments of society to enact sweeping reforms in his home country. His Royal Highness has argued that proper financial regulation should be designed around those who depend on the financial sector, not those who profit the most from it. His direct experience of rebuilding the credibility of a financial system offers universal lessons as the world recovers from the global financial crisis.Emir Sanusi became central bank governor for Nigeria in 2009 and led the efforts to tackle widespread fraud and protected depositors at 24 banks when their misdeeds had brought them, and the banking system as a whole, to the brink of collapse.The Emir’s participation complement the efforts of the Summit’s host, Bank Negara Malaysia, to highlight the role of ethical finance in meeting the growing financial needs of the emerging markets’ rising middle class. The Emir of Kano has been a longstanding believer that for ethical finance to fully become a part of a new worldview, it should not only incorporate Islamic finance into its future. Rather, it should also do so based on a shared belief that those in positions of responsibility, including those in the financial industry, must act in a way that helps others who are not in the same position.The Summit aims to capitalise on emerging market growth of Islamic finance and the synergies that exist between Islamic finance and global responsible finance. (Photo: Emir of Kano)

Catella Hedgefond named Hedge Fund of the Year

Catella Hedgefond has been declared the winner in the Hedge Funds category by Swedish Fondmarknaden.se for the second consecutive year.
“Catella Hedgefond is one of our most important products, and we are proud of this award. We have a broad offering in equity, hedge and fixed income funds, enabling us to address the investment needs of both private and institutional investors based on different risk aspects, market situations and management methods. Catella Hedgefond is an excellent alternative when markets are somewhat turbulent, as we are experiencing right now. At these times it is most important for investors to limit their risk, but still achieve a good return,” says Erik Kjellgren, head of the Swedish fund operations.Fondmarknaden.se has awarded Funds of the Year 2015 in twelve different fund categories. Catella Hedgefond won with reasoning: “For the second year in a row we have named Catella Hedgefond as Hedge Fund of the Year. The characteristics for our assessment in this fund category are that the funds must be traded daily and be accessible in terms of investment amounts for ordinary savers. A hedge fund must also be broad in its investment mandate and demonstrate a clear majority of positive monthly returns over time. Catella Hedgefond lives up to this and has delivered a good risk-adjusted return for the second consecutive year, and shows good resilience during downturns in the stock market. In a broad fund category such as hedge funds, great importance has been attached to identifying a resilient hedge fund that stands up well in downward markets and that also follows the upturns. Taking this into account, we therefore name Catella Hedgefond the best fund in this fund category.” “We are obviously very pleased, not least because this is the second consecutive year that we have received this award. Catella Hedgefond is a fund with a focus on low risk. Despite the turmoil that prevailed in 2015, we managed to achieve a return of approximately 5 percent without the risk level of the fund significantly increasing,” says Ulf Strömsten, fund manager for Catella Hedgefond. (photo: Catella Hedgefond)

MEPs to debate coast guard proposal, relocation and Schengen with Avramopoulos

Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos will join the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday to debate the border and coast guard package presented on 15 December 2015, the progress of measures to tackle the migration and refugee crisis, including relocation (only 272 asylum seekers have been relocated so far) and work in the reception “hotspots”. MEPs may also raise the issue of the reintroduction of border controls in Sweden and Denmark and the future of Schengen, as well as the Cologne sexual attacks. The debate starts at 10.00.
The EU Commission’s proposal to turn border agency Frontex into a common European border and coast guard body that could be deployed, in urgent cases, even without the approval of the country concerned was welcomed by many members in a plenary debate with Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner Avramopoulos on 15 December.The Commission also proposed establishing a European return office within the new agency. In urgent situations, rapid return intervention teams could be deployed either at the request of a member state or by decision of the EU. “Nothing can happen without their cooperation, and our proposal is a European answer to European problem”, said Mr Avramopoulos during the plenary debate with members on 15 December.

Taiwan Elections: Independence-leaning DPP heading for landslide victory

Taiwan’s president and parliament are going to be newly elected this Saturday. Tsai Ing-wen, the candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is leading in all of the opinion polls and could become the first female president of Taiwan. In Beijing the election is being regarded with scepticism as it is unlikely a DPP-led government would continue the mainland-friendly course followed by the conservative Kuomintang (KMT). We spoke to Johannes Buckow, research assistant at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin, about the matter.In the Taiwanese opinion polls, the DPP has been well ahead of the incumbent KMT for months now. Is a shift of power likely soon, do you think?Well, the opportunity for the DPP to get an absolute majority in parliament has certainly never been better. Many Taiwanese citizens are unhappy about the country’s economic situation: growth has been dropping and real earnings have been falling, too. A large number of young voters, in particular, feel they have been losing out as a result of the KMT’s mainland-friendly politics. This frustration with the situation has been voiced quite loudly at various protests over the last few months. Many companies have moved their business activities to the mainland in recent years – in other words, Taiwanese jobs have been lost to China.The DPP wants to reduce Taiwan’s dependence on the mainland: Tsai would like to make Taiwan’s economy more innovative and develop the island’s relations to Japan and the United States even further. Whether or not this can be done will also depend on whether she can convince local businesses of her plans.Taiwan refers to itself formally as the ‘Republic of China’, but in Beijing’s view, it is nothing more than a rogue province. Just how ‘Chinese’ is Taiwan nowadays?The Taiwanese even disagree on this question themselves. Many people say they can’t identify with the mainland any more – young people, in particular. Rather than seeing links with China, they often refer to the great mixture of cultural influences that have shaped Taiwan – influences from Japan, from Taiwan’s own aboriginal inhabitants and from the West. Many people are also afraid Taiwan will lose its freedom and independence if it gets too pally with the People’s Republic.The two biggest parties reflect this ambivalent attitude to the Chinese mainland: the once authoritarian governing party of the Republic of China, the KMT, traditionally stands for Taiwan’s Chinese identity and intensive co-operation with the Chinese mainland. It maintains close contact with the large companies that produce goods on the mainland and also sell them there. The opposition party, the DPP, grew out of the democracy movement that developed in the 1980s. The members of this party emphasise Taiwan’s cultural diversity and call for more independence for the island.How would you describe Tsai as a politician? What makes her own politics different to that of her predecessor from the KMT, Ma Ying-jeou, who is not allowed to stand for election again?Unlike Ma and her rival from the KMT, Eric Chu, Tsai only became actively involved in politics at a relatively late point in time and doesn’t have such a broad network of contacts in the business world yet. Nonetheless, she has still managed to get the DPP to be a party representing a wider range of matters than in the past. At times, the party became very confrontational in its call for greater independence for Taiwan while it was under the leadership of former president Chen Shui-bian. Nowadays, it also wants to see more affordable accommodation built and promotes innovation, clean energy and the right for same-sex couples to marry. The DPP has been reaching out to new groups of the population as a result.Unlike the DPP, the KMT has experienced a shift to the right under Ma’s leadership: he had history textbooks changed to emphasise Taiwan’s Chinese identity more strongly and pushed controversial new trade agreements with the People’s Republic of China despite resistance from citizens.

GCC insurance industry requires regulatory ‘passporting’ to enable scale and profitability

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The conveners of the longest running Insurance platform for the Middle East – the Middle East Insurance Forum (MEIF) – announced that a groundbreaking report on the region’s insurance industry will be launched exclusively at MEIF 2016. Middle East Global Advisors, an intelligence platform serving markets in the Middle East North Africa Southeast Asia (MENASEA) region, joined hands with the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) in a press conference to share some of the insights of the much-awaited “Finance Forward Insurance Outlook Report 2016”.The report aims to help leaders in the insurance industry make key strategic decisions and capitalize on emerging opportunities. The host of the press conference, Mr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Baker, Executive Director of Financial Institutions Supervision at the CBB, said: “We are delighted to announce that the 12thannual MEIF will serve a launching platform for such an important industry report. MEIF 2016 is set at an opportune time at the start of the year to really shape the future trajectory of the Middle East’s insurance industry.”Present from Middle East Global Advisors was its Vice-Chairman and CEO, Dr. Sayd Farook, who set the macroeconomic scene for the Finance Forward report: “The financial services industry is facing an uncertain global economy. Low oil prices, rising interest rates, a strong dollar and concerns about emerging market growth will most certainly weigh on financial institutions, banks as well as insurers in the Middle East.”Dr. Farook continued by conveying some of the results from the report’s survey, which is ongoing: “Budget cuts impacting infrastructure spending across the Middle East constitute a major concern for many survey participants, especially given that commercial lines have been buoyed by large projects. In 2014, growth in commercial lines grew just 6.6% (compared to 19.6% for personal lines) which may account for survey respondents’ more optimistic outlook for medium-term premium growth in personal lines.”Dr. Farook added: “Many respondents are looking into online channels, particularly for personal lines, and into expanding outreach to underinsured consumers to support their future growth – especially digital strategies. Yet a major hurdle is the fact that regulations are uneven across the Middle East, and are lacking in some critical areas.”Mr. Al Baker indicated: “The Middle East insurance industry has grown considerably; however, it still lags behind other emerging and frontier markets in the overall penetration. Instead of encouraging competition between insurance companies and takaful operators for a share of a small market, we need the entire sector to find strategies to make the market grow more rapidly to support consolidation and create a more robust capital base.”

قطاع التأمين في دول المجلس التعاون الخليجي يتطلب نظاما مرنا حتى يحقق الربحية والحجم المستهدف

تقرير الشرق الأوسط الريادي للتأمين يسلط الضوء على ضرورة ممارسة شركات التأمين أنشطتها عبر الحدود بمرونة أكبر خاصة في ظل الوضع الاقتصادي الحالي – حيث بلغ النمو في عام 2014 في التأمين التجاري 6.6٪ فقط.
المنامة، مملكة البحرين، 13 يناير 2016: أعلن منتدى الشرق الأوسط للتأمين المنظم لأقدم منصة ناشطة في قطاع التأمين في الشرق الأوسط بأن تقريراً ريادياً عن قطاع التأمين في المنطقة سوف يُطلق حصرياً في منتدى الشرق الأوسط للتأمين هذا العام 2016م. وتشارك شركة الشرق الأوسط للاستشارات العالمية، وهي منصة لتبادل المعلومات تخدم الأسواق في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا وجنوب شرق آسيا (MENASA)، مصرف البحرين المركزي في مؤتمر صحفي بهدف تبادل الرؤى عن التقرير الذي طال انتظاره وهو: “تقرير النظرة المستقبلية لقطاع التأمين لعام 2016”.
يهدف التقرير إلى مساعدة القادة في قطاع التأمين في اتخاذ قرارات استراتيجية رئيسية والاستفادة من الفرص الناشئة. وأفاد السيد عبد الرحمن محمد الباكر، المدير التنفيذي للرقابة على المؤسسات المالية في مصرف البحرين المركزي، مستضيف المؤتمر الصحفي بالقول: “يسعدنا أن نعلن بأن منتدى الشرق الأوسط السنوي الثاني عشر، سيصبح منصة انطلاق لمثل هذا التقرير الهام في هذا القطاع. وجاء تحديد موعد انعقاد منتدى الشرق الأوسط لعام 2016 ليكون في بداية السنة حتى يحدد المسار المستقبلي لقطاع التأمين في منطقة الشرق الأوسط للسنة”.
وكان من بين الحضور نائب رئيس مجلس الإدارة والرئيس التنفيذي لشركة الشرق الأوسط العالمية للاستشارات الدكتور سيد فاروق، الذي حدد المشهد الاقتصادي الكلي للتقرير حيث قال: “يواجه قطاع الخدمات المالية اقتصاداً عالمياً غير واضح المعالم. إذ أنه من المؤكد لانخفاض أسعار النفط، وارتفاع أسعار الفائدة، وتحسن قوة الدولار، والمخاوف بشأن نمو الأسواق الناشئة أن تلقي بثقلها على المؤسسات المالية والبنوك وشركات التأمين في الشرق الأوسط”.
وواصل الدكتور سيد فاروق حديثه مبينا بعض نتائج الدراسة التي قام بها التقرير حيث قال: “إن خفض الموازنات سيؤثر على الإنفاق في البنية التحتية في منطقة الشرق الأوسط، وهذا من دوره يشكل مصدر قلق كبير لكثير من المشاركين في الدراسة، خاصة وأن التأمين التجاري يعتمد على المشاريع الكبيرة. فقد بلغ النمو في العام 2014 في التأمين التجاري 6.6٪ فقط (مقارنة بنسبة 19.6٪ للتأمين الشخصي) وهو ما قد يفسر التفاؤل في التوقعات في تحقيق نمو أفضل في المدى المتوسط في التأمين الشخصي”.
كما أضاف أيضاً: “إن العديد من المشاركين يبحثون في القنوات الإلكترونية، ولاسيما بالنسبة في مجال التأمين الشخصي، ويسعون إلى تعزيز الوعي لدى المستهلكين بشأن عدم كفاية الغطاء التأميني حتى يدعموا نموهم المستقبلي – وخاصةً الاستراتيجيات الرقمية digital strategies. ومع هذا كله فإن هناك عقبة رئيسية تتمثل في حقيقة أن الأنظمة الرقابية غير متماثلة بين الدول في مختلف أنحاء الشرق الأوسط، فضلا عن أنها تعاني قصوراً في بعض الجوانب الهامة”.
وفي حديث له، قال السيد عبد الرحمن الباكر: “لقد شهد قطاع التأمين إلى حدٍ كبير نمواً في الشرق الأوسط. إلا أنه ما يزال في مراتب متأخرة مقارنة بغيره من الأسواق الناشئة والأسواق الرائدة بشكل عام. فبدلاً من أن نشجع المنافسة بين شركات التأمين وشركات التكافل للحصول على حصة في سوق صغير، نحن بحاجة إلى أن يقوم القطاع بأكمله باستحداث استراتيجيات تعزز نمو السوق تنمو بشكل اسرع حتى تدعم تماسك السوق وتخلق قاعدة رأسمال أكثر قوة”.
من المقرر أن ينعقد منتدى الشرق الأوسط في 2 و 3 من شهر فبراير القادم في فندق الخليج في المنامة، مملكة البحرين. وسيتم خلى المنتدى اطلاق “تقرير النظرة المستقبلية لقطاع التأمين لسنة 2016”. للمزيد من المعلومات، يرجى زيارة الموقع الإلكتروني على الرابط التالي: http://www.meif2016.com . النهاية نبذة حول الشرق الأوسط العالمية للإستشارات
تم تدشينها في عام 1993، إذ تقوم الشرق الأوسط العالمية للإستشارات بربط الأسواق من خلال تقديم ذكية وتنفيذ الاستراتيجيات. وتعتبر الشرق الأوسط العالمية للاستشارات بوابة ربط ومنصة تقديم تقارير حول الفرص المتوفرة في الأسواق التي تشهد نمو سريع بما في ذلك المغرب، وغرب أندونيسيا في الشرق بالإضافة إلى الشرق المتوسط وشمال أفريقيا، وشرق آسيا. وتفتخر الشرق الأوسط العالمية بوجودها في قلب هذه الأسواق المتنوعة منذ أكثر من 22 عاماً. (photo: middle east insurance)

Il prof. Paolo Bernardini vince il premio Letteratura dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Napoli

Il professor Paolo Bernardini, ordinario di Storia moderna all’Università degli Studi dell’Insubria di Como, è il vincitore della XIV sezione “saggio edito” della XXXI edizione del Premio Internazionale “Letteratura” poesia, narrativa, saggistica organizzato dall’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Napoli e dalla rivista internazionale di poesia e letteratura “Nuove Lettere”, con il libro “Venetia. Tessere di un mosaico infinito” (Mimesis, 2015). Il riconoscimento è stato assegnato dalla Giuria – formata dai redattori di Nuove Lettere e presieduta dal direttore dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Napoli Roberto Pasanisi – tra gli oltre 1.150 partecipanti complessivi al Premio nelle varie sezioni.
La cerimonia di premiazione si terrà domenica 31 gennaio alle ore 16 presso la sede dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Napoli.
Frammenti della storia di una delle maggiori civiltà del Mediterraneo, che ha dato vita nei secoli a produzioni culturali, uomini, idee, scambi e modelli che hanno costituito un punto di riferimento per le altre culture europee, e mondiali. Impero, repubblica, città, aperta al mondo, capace di resistere oltre un millennio e dare al mondo un’eredità imperitura. Tessere di un mosaico infinito, qui colte in un percorso disordinato e allegramente stimolato dalla sola curiosità e dalle occasioni di lettura, commemorazioni, mostre d’arte, eventi politici. Un libro per appassionati e per neofiti, che coglie alcuni tra gli infiniti momenti di splendore della civiltà veneziana, senza pretesa di sistematicità, per il piacere della lettura e della scoperta, o riscoperta.
Paolo Bernardini E’ ordinario di Storia moderna all’Università dell’Insubria, a Como. Nell’ambito della storia veneta, ha pubblicato “Di qua e di là del mare: Venezia e il mondo universo” (Aras, 2010), ha curato l’edizione di Giacomo Casanova, “Dialoghi sul suicidio” (Aracne, 2005), e ha pubblicato studi e saggi su “Studi veneziani, Ateneo Veneto, Mediterranea: Ricerche storiche, Italian Studies in Southern Africa”. Ha scritto la prefazione al volume di Alessio Morosin, leader di “Indipendenza veneta”, “Autodeterminazione” (2013) e collaborato a Il Corriere del Veneto, La Provincia di Como-Varese, L’indipendenza e Diritto di Voto. (foto: paolo bernardini)

Necessarie nuove risorse per bisogni umanitari in Siria

NEW YORK. Con la guerra in Siria che si avvia verso il suo sesto anno senza che ci sia alcuna possibile soluzione all’orizzonte, le Agenzie umanitarie e di sviluppo delle Nazioni Unite lanciano un appello agli Stati per raccogliere nuovi, fondamentali finanziamenti per il 2016: serviranno 7,73miliardi di dollari per riuscire a portare aiuti a 22,5milioni di persone in Siria e in tutta la regione.L’appello comprende due aspetti importanti: assistenza per un totale di 4,7milioni di rifugiati, attesi nei paesi vicini entro la fine del 2016 e per i 4milioni di persone nelle comunità che li ospitano, e il supporto per 13,5milioni di persone sfollate all’interno della Siria stessa a causa del conflitto.Il primo di questi aspetti, il Piano Regionale per i Rifugiati e la Resilienza (3RP) per il 2016, copre le attività di circa 200 partner, tra cui Agenzie delle Nazioni Unite, organizzazioni intergovernative e organizzazioni non governative in Turchia, Libano, Giordania, Iraq ed Egitto. Con un ammontare pari a 4,55 miliardi di dollari, l’appello mira a sostenere le persone costrette a fuggire dalla Siria nei paesi limitrofi e le comunità in cui sono ospitate.”Anche nel momento in cui l’afflusso verso l’Europa ha finalmente catalizzato l’attenzione del mondo sulla crisi in Siria e gli insostenibili livelli di sofferenza umana che questa continua a provocare, il peso più grave in assoluto e’ sulle spalle delle comunità e dei governi della regione”, ha dichiarato l’Alto Commissario delle Nazioni Unite per i Rifugiati, Filippo Grandi. “Dobbiamo impedire che i rifugiati siriani scivolino sempre più nella povertà e aiutarli a coltivare la speranza nel proprio futuro e in quello del loro Paese, oltre che fare di più per aiutare coloro che li ospitano” ha aggiunto Grandi.Per l’anno in corso, tra i principali indirizzi strategici del piano, si annoverano maggiori investimenti nel campo dell’istruzione e maggiori opportunità di formazione professionale e mezzi di sussistenza per i rifugiati e le comunità ospitanti. I partner che promuovono il programma chiedono anche maggiore sostegno ai rifugiati più vulnerabili per garantire loro un’adeguata distribuzione di cibo e soddisfare altri bisogni di base, insieme a un maggiore sostegno a capacità di risposta e sistemi nazionali che garantiscono servizi nel campo della salute, dell’istruzione e della fornitura d’acqua.”Gli approcci convenzionali che propongono ‘aiuti subito, sviluppo dopo’ non possono funzionare in Siria o in altre crisi prolungate”, ha dichiarato l’amministratore di UNDP Helen Clark. “I rifugiati, le comunità ospitanti e gli sfollati interni in Siria hanno bisogno di mezzi di sostentamento. Hanno bisogno di servizi di base, tra cui quelli sanitari, educativi, idrici, oltre a servizi igienici, energia elettrica e servizi di smaltimento dei rifiuti. E hanno bisogno di sperare in un futuro migliore.”I partner del piano 3P esortano i donatori a erogare fondi dall’inizio di quest’anno, a fornire finanziamenti pluriennali e armonizzare gli investimenti in operazioni umanitarie e di sviluppo per contribuire cosi’ ad una migliore pianificazione. Piano di risposta umanitaria in Siria per il 2016. Il conflitto in Siria continua ad essere la più grande crisi a livello mondiale. Si stima che circa 250mila persone siano state uccise e circa 1,2milioni siano state ferite. Il Piano di risposta umanitaria in Siria per il 2016 richiede circa 3,2miliardi di dollari per fornire assistenza umanitaria e protezione a 13,5milioni di persone. Queste esigenze sono state calcolate sulla base di una raccolta dati e una rigorosa individuazione delle priorità in tutto il paese. Il piano si concentra sul salvataggio di vite umane, un migliore accesso agli aiuti umanitari, ed il rafforzamento di interventi di protezione e sostegno alla resilienza a lungo termine per le comunità più vulnerabili.”Con l’inizio del 2016, milioni di persone hanno ancora bisogno di assistenza all’interno della Siria e quasi 400mila persone sono intrappolate dalle fazioni combattenti e viene effettivamente impedito loro di ricevere qualsiasi tipo di aiuti umanitari. Dopo quasi sei anni di brutale conflitto e paralisi politica, la popolazione siriana ha più che mai bisogno del nostro aiuto”, ha dichiarato Stephen O’Brien, direttore delle operazioni umanitarie per le Nazioni Unite.”La Conferenza del 4 febbraio per la Siria sarà l’occasione per far luce sull’impatto umano del conflitto, in particolare sulle donne, le bambine e i più giovani. Verrà richiesto sostegno per riconoscere le responsabilità per gli abusi contro i civili e la loro mancata protezione. Esorto gli Stati affinché mandino a Londra i più alti dirigenti per mostrare al mondo che questa crisi merita tutta la nostra attenzione e il nostro impegno,” ha aggiunto O’Brien.Gli appelli per la Siria sono parte del più ampio appello umanitario per il 2016, in cui si richiedono 20,1miliardi di dollari per raggiungere 87milioni di persone in tutto il mondo, appello che è stato lanciato lo scorso dicembre.