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STORY: UN / SUDAN FAO INTERVIEW
TRT: 4:40
SOURCE: UN NEWS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN / 17 APRIL 2024, SHATA VILLAGE, SUDAN / 17 APRIL 2024, TOBIN VILLAGE, SUDAN
FAO - 17 APRIL 2024, SHATA VILLAGE, SUDAN
1. Various shots, Paulsen with villagers
19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, FAO:
“The risk of famine is real. The food security situation is deeply concerning. But we have an opportunity to respond, and that's what we're busy doing at the moment.”
FAO - 17 APRIL 2024, SHATA VILLAGE, SUDAN
3. Various shots, Paulsen with villagers
19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN
4.SOUNDBITE (English) Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, FAO:
“We have a three-pronged strategy. A key component is around crops for the two main seasons. So cereals for this upcoming season and then key vegetables for the second season, but also attention to livestock. So many of those who are in acute food insecurity, the numbers that you mentioned also rely on, livestock. And so being able to support those animals with emergency fodder, with key vaccinations, all of which help to ensure that households that are food insecure continue, for example, to have access to milk production from their goats. All of this is indispensable for effective famine prevention efforts. We have a window of opportunity, and that window as right now.”
FAO – 17 APRIL 2024, SHATA VILLAGE, SUDAN
5. Various shots, Paulsen by a well
19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, FAO:
“Just quickly on the funding side, FAO currently requires a $104 million to support just over 10 million as Sudanese people in 2024. We're funded at less than 10 percent. So the funding issue is real chanllenge. We often talk about it, but we have less funding this year than we did last year. And the food insecurity situation is worse this year than last year. So those two trends, had to get the wrong directions.”
FAO - 17 APRIL 2024, TOBIN VILLAGE, SUDAN
10. Various shots, Paulsen checking tomato crops
19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, FAO:
“We need to be guided by evidence. We need to be focussed on those contexts and situations where we have high levels of acute food insecurity, and there needs to be funding commensurate with, the level of needs that exist. And we, strongly feel that Sudan merits and deserves a lot more attention than it's currently receiving.”
FAO – 17 APRIL 2024, TOBIN VILLAGE, SUDAN
11. Pan right, delegation walking through a field
19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, FAO:
“we've also very concerning heard and do hear reports from farmers about inability to access, plots of land. And so, you know, for us, as a specialised technical agency, it's about it's not just about giving inputs to farmers. We also provide technical assistance, but they obviously need access to their land to prepare it. They need access to the land to plant. They need access to the land to, monitor and surveil their crops and then access to land to be able to harvest for those that are cropping to. And so this issue of, of being able to access farming land is key and a major priority and concern.”
FAO - 17 APRIL 2024, TOBIN VILLAGE, SUDAN
13. Various shots, Paulsen walking
19 APRIL 2024, PORT OF SUDAN
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, FAO:
“I would summarise things as simply as, evidence is showing that the risk of famine is here, we have a window of opportunity to prevent it. That window of opportunity when it comes to emergency agricultural assistance is now. The main planting season starts in just a few short weeks, but it is possible to work throughout the calendar year to respond to the situation. We need a multisectoral response to have effective plan famine prevention in place. And so, obviously as, for the Food and Agriculture Organisation, I'm talking about the emergency agricultural work that needs to take place, but it's just as important that those specialised entities that work on, health issues, on nutrition issues, on water issues, that all of those receive support for an effective famine prevention strategy to take place. We know we can deliver at scale. We've delivered at scale in the past, but we need support to be able to do that as we move into the months ahead.”
FAO - 17 APRIL 2024, TOBIN VILLAGE, SUDAN
15. Various shots, Paulsen walking
In an interview, FAO senior official for emergencies and resilience, Rein Paulsen said that the risk of famine in Sudan is real, reiterating that “we have a window of opportunity and that window is right now.”
Speaking from Port of Sudan today (19 Apr), Paulsen said, “We have a three-pronged strategy. A key component is around crops for the two main seasons. So cereals for this upcoming season and then key vegetables for the second season, but also attention to livestock.”
He added, “so being able to support those animals with emergency fodder, with key vaccinations, all of which help to ensure that households that are food insecure continue, for example, to have access to milk production from their goats. All of this is indispensable for effective famine prevention efforts.”
On funding, the FAO official said, “FAO currently requires a $104 million to support just over 10 million as Sudanese people in 2024. We're funded at less than 10 percent. So the funding issue is real chanllenge.:
He added, “We often talk about it, but we have less funding this year than we did last year. And the food insecurity situation is worse this year than last year. So those two trends, had to get the wrong directions.”
Paulsen also said, “We need to be guided by evidence. We need to be focussed on those contexts and situations where we have high levels of acute food insecurity, and there needs to be funding commensurate with, the level of needs that exist. And we, strongly feel that Sudan merits and deserves a lot more attention than it's currently receiving.”
On access to land, the FAO official said, “we've also very concerning heard and do hear reports from farmers about inability to access, plots of land.”
He reiterated that the farms need access to their land to prepare it. He said, “They need access to the land to plant. They need access to the land to, monitor and surveil their crops and then access to land to be able to harvest for those that are cropping to. And so this issue of, of being able to access farming land is key and a major priority and concern.”
Paulsen also said, “I would summarise things as simply as, evidence is showing that the risk of famine is here, we have a window of opportunity to prevent it. That window of opportunity when it comes to emergency agricultural assistance is now.”
He said, “The main planting season starts in just a few short weeks, but it is possible to work throughout the calendar year to respond to the situation.”
“We need a multisectoral response to have effective plan famine prevention in place. And so, obviously as, for the Food and Agriculture Organisation, I'm talking about the emergency agricultural work that needs to take place, but it's just as important that those specialised entities that work on, health issues, on nutrition issues, on water issues, that all of those receive support for an effective famine prevention strategy to take place. We know we can deliver at scale,” the FAO official added.
He concluded, “We've delivered at scale in the past, but we need support to be able to do that as we move into the months ahead.”
