Ethiopia appeals for 1.3 bln USD emergency aid for 8.3 mln people in 2019
FILE PHOTO: A man walks near a carcass of a dead cow in Farado Kebele, one of the drought-stricken regions in Ethiopia, January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo -
ADDIS ABABA, March 7 (Xinhua) — The Ethiopian government and its humanitarian partners on Thursday appealed for 1.3 billion U.S. dollars to address food and non-food emergency needs of 8.3 million people.
The appeal was made as the Ethiopian government and its humanitarian partners launched the 2019 joint Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan in Addis Ababa.
According to the joint response plan, some 4.4 million people are targeted for nutrition support, including 609,961 under-five children who are targeted for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
“Some 2.7 million displaced people and returnees will benefit from emergency shelter and NFI (non-food items) assistance, while millions will receive emergency health, water, education, protection and agriculture support until the end of the year.”
Ethiopia’s Commissioner of the National Disaster Risk Management Commission Mitiku Kassa said “Ethiopia is at a transition.”
“Some of the humanitarian challenges from conflict hazard we have been seeing in recent months, affecting many people, are an unfortunate effect of transitional periods,” he said.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia Aeneas Chuma also stressed humanitarian partners’ support to Ethiopia’s emergency response efforts.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the government’s leadership in addressing the needs of people affected by crisis across the country. We also recognize the daunting challenges ahead and the urgent need to scale up assistance,” said Chuma.
“Thanks to the leadership of the government and the generous support from donors and friends of Ethiopia, the multi-sector lifesaving assistance has helped mitigate the worst effects of the humanitarian crisis in 2018,” he said. Read more...
