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UN Agencies Appeal Humanitarian Relief for Ethiopia
The United Nations Country Team in Ethiopia announced Thursday the launching of an appeal of US$203 million to provide over 6 million Ethiopians and some 206,000 refugees in Ethiopia with relief assistance.
The launch was held at the UN Conference Center here by the UN Children's Fund, the Food and Agricultural Organization, the World Food Program, the World Health Organization, the UN Population Fund and the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees.
The UN agencies made the appeal for more than 6 million victims of natural disaster, at least 395,000 internally displaced persons and returnees and the requirements for Sudanese, Somali and other refugees in Ethiopia, according to a press release issued by the UN Country Team.
The UN Country Team stated that the grim outlook of a year ago has given way to optimism generated by the signing of the peace accord between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the return to more favorable weather conditions.
For the ten million or so people who required urgent drought relief assistance last year, there is now hope for a gradual recovery and return to normality, according to the release.
Earlier, Simon Mechale, Commissioner of Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission, has requested the international community for 470,000 tons of food aid to feed some 6.2 million people expected to be affected by drought in 2001, and appealed for 39 million U.S. dollars for a recovery program for pastoralists who have been severely affected by four consecutive years of drought in most regions of lowland Ethiopia.
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