UN humanitarian projects face an unprecedented funding shortfall this year, with only a third of the $48.7 billion needed, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The money is needed to help some 204 million people around the world as armed conflict and climate change emerge as key drivers of "mega-crises" that threaten the livelihoods of entire peoples.

" Over halfway through the year, the funding gap amounts to $33.6 billion, our largest funding gap ever," OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke said at a press conference on Friday.

"The needs in the world are increasing much faster before donor funding arrives," he stressed.

So far, $15.2 billion has been raised to cover half the year, also a record, Laerke said, in a year of increasing humanitarian needs.

According to the OCHA website, the United States is the leading donor, contributing just over $8 billion, while the World Food Program was the largest recipient.

The nearly $50 billion needed includes all UN-coordinated appeals around the world, such as the annual humanitarian response plans in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria, as well as urgent appeals in war-torn Ukraine and regional appeals for refugees in Afghanistan.

The money is intended for all UN humanitarian agencies and some NGOs, but does not cover appeals by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the ICRC because they have independent appeal processes, Laerke said.