UN Agencies in Ethiopia
Launch Appeal For Assistance to
United Nations Addis Ababa, 28 January 2000 – The United
Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Ethiopia announced today the launching of a US$190
million appeal to provide over 8 million Ethiopians and some 250,000 refugees
in Ethiopia with relief assistance. Included in the relief and humanitarian
appeal are requests for assistance for 7,732,335 victims of natural disaster,
349,937 internally displaced persons and the requirements for Sudanese, Somali
and other refugees in Ethiopia already included in the UNHCR Global Appeal of
December 1999. The appeal lists a number
of priority interventions in food assistance, health, water, sanitation, nutrition,
education, special
protection needs and agriculture to be undertaken this year.
At the launch, held at the UN Conference Center in Addis
Ababa, the UN Country Team emphasized that current conditions in Ethiopia give
great cause for concern. In 1999, a
major humanitarian emergency was averted through rapid response from donors and
flexible programmes of resources by the Government and its partners. The fact that a major tragedy was avoided,
however, should not lull one into a false sense of security. In many respects, the relief operation in
1999 only succeeded in meeting some of the most acute needs. If adequate assistance is slow in arriving,
the crisis will not only return, but will be much larger in magnitude and
severity and certainly more costly and difficult to mitigate.
For the 7.7 million victims of natural disaster the UN World
Food Programme (WFP), in support of the Ethiopian Government/ Disaster
Prevention and Preparedness Commission's appeal of 21 January, is requesting
approval for an emergency operation covering over 250,000 Metric Tons of food
aid to assist 2.3 million people for the period April – December 2000. UNICEF and WHO are appealing for US$1,507,000
to cover emergency health interventions, including programmes for malaria control,
Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI) and nutrition. UNICEF is also appealing for US$2,300,000 to
address some of the most urgent water supply needs, including priority water tinkering
and rehabilitation of water points, US$1,599,800 for support to education
facilities in the most severely drought affected areas and US$61,300 for
special relief assistance and monitoring.
In order to assist the most several drought affected farmers, FAO is appealing
for US$2,843,000 to cover emergency seed distributions, irrigation pumps and
beehives. The food component of the
appeal for victims of natural disasters, including the value of the food, transportation
and other costs, amounts to
US$98,900,000 while the total value of the non-food component
is US$8,411,100.
In order to assist the 349,837 Ethiopians displaced in Tigray
and Afar regions by the conflict with Eritrea, the UN Country Team is appealing
for both food and non-food assistance.
WFP is requesting approval for 46,452 Metric Tons of food to assist
272,000 internally displaced people in Tigray between April and December
2000. WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF are requesting
US$1,206,000 for emergency health programme including support to EPI
programmes, malaira control, disease surveillance, health education/training,
emergency health kits and HIV/AIDS materials.
In order to address the most urgent water and sanitation needs, UNICEF
is appealing for US$591,000 for the expansion access of safe water supply for
the displaced. Other important components
of UNICEF's appeal for assistance to the displaced include US$810,500 for the
construction of temporary schools and school supplies, US$897,000 to cover the
special protection needs of the most vulnerable segments of the displaced
population. The total value of the food
component, including food costs and transportation is US$23,850,000 and the non-food
component is US$3,672,800.
The refugee component of the UN Country Team appeal includes
a summary of the Ethiopia section UNHCR Global Appeal for the almost 250,000
refugees in Ethiopia as well as the WFP appeal for food assistance to the
refugee population in Ethiopia. UNHCR has appealed for US$22,598,062 to cover protection,
general care and maintenance, voluntary
repatriation and reintegration activities as well as environmental
activities and operational support to cooperating partners. The WFP portion of the refugees appeal
covers food and logistic costs for the care and maintenance programme as well
as the food component of the repatriation packages given to Somali refugee
returning home. The total food requirement
is 61,833 Metric Tons valued at US$33,291,003.
Addis Ababa
28 January 2000
For further information on specific UN agency programmes
please contact:
FAO 15 34 87/51
72 33
UNFPA 51 19 80
UNHCR 61 28 22/61
37 40
UNICEF 51 51 55
WHO 51 72 00,
ext 35180 or ext 35181
For more general information on the UN Appeal please
contact: