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Press Release

More donor support needed for drought relief in Horn

Wednesday, 21 June 2000: UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy today urged government and individual donors to provide more support to drought relief efforts in the region, where at least 13 million people in five countries are facing displacement, disease and the grim toll of conflict.

Fresh from a five-day, five-country mission to the region, where she visited displacement camps, feeding centres and emergency immunization sites, Ms. Bellamy said that greater donor support was essential to the success of relief efforts. She noted that slow response to earlier appeals had caused UNICEF to launch its drought relief efforts using money borrowed from the UN.

"I made this trip because I was deeply concerned that the humanitarian crisis caused by the drought had become obscured by the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea," Ms. Bellamy said. "Now that a cease-fire has been signed, we have a golden opportunity to turn our attention to the humanitarian needs that the war and the drought have conspired to create. Without greater support, we will not be able to complete the job of saving lives in the Horn, especially among children."

Ms. Bellamy's trip encompassed Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya.

Two weeks ago, the UN launched a drought appeal totaling some $386 million, covering relief activities from the provision of food, the improvement of water sources and the replacement of cattle to the immunization of children against disease and the provision of emergency teaching supplies. The bulk of the appeal -- about 85 per cent -- is for the provision of food. The other 15 per cent covers crucial non-food relief such as medicine, water, sanitation and other life-saving interventions. UNICEF's portion of appeal, about $30 million for the five countries, covers primarily non-food assistance.

Ms. Bellamy said that major international donors -- mostly governments -- had so far indicated pledges covering roughly half of the total appeal. She noted, however, that almost all the indicated pledges are for food. "I must point out that while food is necessary, it is by no means sufficient alone. Malnourished children need supplemental feeding and special attention. Immunizations are required against diseases. Sanitation and clean water prevent the spread of disease to begin with," Ms. Bellamy said.

"Therefore I am calling for a renewed outpouring of support for the people of the Horn of Africa."

Ms. Bellamy said her tour through the Horn convinced her that "despite some local variations, a very severe drought still grips this region."

"In Eritrea in particular, lives are at immediate risk," Ms. Bellamy noted. "Due to both drought and war, Eritrea is facing a humanitarian crisis on an almost unimaginable scale. One-third to one-half of the entire population is displaced. The outlook for agriculture is very bleak. I visited a camp that was home to nearly 70,000 people -- about 90 per cent of them children and women. This camp didn't even exist three weeks ago," she said.

"Kenya is also facing a dramatic humanitarian crisis," Ms. Bellamy added. "I was told in several small villages in the north of the country that this drought appears to be worse than anything in the 1980s or 1990s. Moreover, unlike some parts of Ethiopia and Somalia, northern Kenya has not seen any rain at all in recent months."

Despite the challenges, Ms. Bellamy said she was heartened by the relief activities she saw in every country. "Governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and communities themselves are making a real difference," she said. "I'm sure lives are being saved."

In addition to swift donor support -- both from governments and the public at large -- Ms. Bellamy said that peace and security in the region were crucial to overcoming the broad crisis across the region.

"UNICEF is very hopeful that with an end to the war, the humanitarian crisis will take centre stage," the UNICEF chief said. "It's absolutely essential that all of us turn our attentions from the loss of life to the saving of lives."

See also:

• In Horn, Bellamy welcomes peace deal
• Drought draws Bellamy to Horn
• Update: Drought and the spectre of famine

Please email media@unicef.org with comments or requests for more information, quoting CF/DOC/PR/2000/53