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Ethiopia school-feeding programme targets one million children in drought-affected areas

Countries
Ethiopia
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Key Issues

  • Government and the humanitarian community discuss the humanitarian situation in Ethiopian

  • Ministry to launch school feeding for over a million students in drought affected areas

Government and the humanitarian community discuss the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia

A high level event on the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia, led jointly by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Demeke Mekonen and UN Secretary General (SG) Mr. António Guterres, was held at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on 29 January 2017. Also present were Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) Mr. Stephen O’Brien, donors, UN agencies and Government officials, including Mr. Mitiku Kassa, Commissioner of the National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC).

While commending the Ethiopian Government and the humanitarian community on the response to the 2016 El Niño-induced drought in Ethiopia, the Secretary General called for total solidarity with the Ethiopian people and the Ethiopian Government as the country faces new drought.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the generous support and partnership from the international community and expressed commitment to the support the 2017 response to the new drought like his Government led the 2016 El Niño-induced drought response. As well as addressing the immediate needs from this drought, Mr. Demeke said Ethiopia is also committed to work with its neighbors who are facing the same drought on longer-term responses to the recurrent challenges of the drought in the region. At the media stakeout, Mr. Demeke emphasized the immediate impact of the drought on livestock and water.

Following his mission to Somali region, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, also spoke from his firsthand experience on the impact of the new drought on livestock and water. Mr. O’Brien called for the international community to act now before it is too late.

The 2017 Ethiopia Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) seeks US$948 million to help 5.6 million people with emergency food and non-food assistance, mainly for the new drought in the southern and eastern parts of the country and residual needs from the El Niño-induced drought.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.