Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock today released US$10 million from the
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently help the most
vulnerable people displaced in Ethiopia due to the conflict along the
borders of the Oromia and Somali regions.
“Today I visited two IDP
re-settlement sites where I saw first-hand the critical importance of
scaling up our support to meet their needs, as called for by the
Government,” said Mr. Lowcock during his visit.
Following the escalation of conflict along the Oromia and Somali
regional borders in early September, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable
people have been driven from their homes and are now living in
approximately 370 sites, with needs that are far greater than the
response that has been able to be provided so far.
The Government has taken the lead in the response efforts and has
provided life-saving food assistance to those in need. The Government
has also released its plans to respond to the situation, including
through efforts to facilitate voluntary returns or alternative
resettlement solutions. “The CERF funds will complement the Government
plan and will enable humanitarian partners to provide life-saving
assistance, including shelter, clean water and sanitation services for
those most in need among the displaced and host communities.
The funds
will also support solutions for displaced people to re-establish their
lives,” said Mr. Lowcock. He also added that other donors were
encouraged to urgently step up their support in response to the needs of
the displaced.
Over the past two years, CERF allocated $49 million to aid operations
in Ethiopia. While Ethiopia continues to be faced with acute crises,
over the past decades Ethiopia has made remarkable strides in
development and addressing food insecurity. However its susceptibility
to drought has resulted in recurring food insecurity. Failed rains in
2016 and 2017 threatened a catastrophe that was only averted by a
massive Government-led response.
Beyond the recurring crises, Ethiopia simultaneously needs to lay the
foundations for recovery and long-term resilience to future shocks. The
international community must seize opportunities to support Ethiopia in
strengthening government-led sustainable development structures at all
levels that can mitigate human risks and the threat from increasingly
frequent and severe droughts, and support government and civil society
in developing capacities for peace building and reconciliation.
The UNDP
Administrator Achim Steiner joined Mr. Lowcock on the visit to Ethiopia
to solidify humanitarian and development collaboration moving forward,
aimed at making joint recommendations for solutions to break the cycle
of loss of development gains due to recurrent disasters.
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