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STORY: UN / HORN OF AFRICA SITUATION
TRT: 2:48
SOURCE: UNIFEED / WFP
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WFP FOOTAGE ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 FEBRUARY 2022, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN headquarters exterior
10 FEBRUARY 2022, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Dunford, Regional Director East Africa, World Food Programme (WFP):
"This drought is causing massive loss of livestock, failed crops, and people are being forced to move from their homes in search of humanitarian assistance. We are proceeding on a no regrets basis. We've learned from the past that if we wait to launch humanitarian activities, often it is too late by the time it starts."
4. Wide shot, press room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Dunford, Regional Director East Africa, World Food Programme (WFP):
"And so, when you have these three shocks and stressors coming together simultaneously, it's putting an enormous amount of pressure on, particularly, food security across the region. We estimate that there are 60 million people across the Horn currently who are food insecure. Ironically, the population of the horn makes up only four percent of the global population, and yet it represents 20 percent of the population that is food insecure. So, huge discrepancies in this particular part of the world."
6. Med shot, journalist asking question
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Dunford, Regional Director East Africa, World Food Programme (WFP):
"We need some type of humanitarian corridor; a humanitarian pause that will allow us to upscale our operations now. We have the capacity to do so. We have the logistics know-how, and we actually have food in country to be distributed., But until we have those corridors operating at scale and sustained for extended periods of time, we are not able to achieve anything really. And this has been the great frustration ever since the middle of December when the convoys stopped."
8. Wide shot, press room
WFP - 22 JANUARY 2022, NEAR GODE, SOMALI REGION - ETHIOPIA
9. Aerial shot, drought-stricken land near Gode
WFP - 02 FEBRUARY 2022, NEAR GODE, SOMALI REGION - ETHIOPIA
10. Wide shot, drought-stricken Adadle district dust storms
11. Med shots, dead cattle
13. Wide shot, herders trying to help an animal up
WFP - 22 JANUARY 2022, SOMALI REGION - ETHIOPIA
14. Various shots, WFP Food distribution in Farburo camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP)
WFP - 02 FEBRURARY 2022, MAALIMIN, KENYA
15. Various shots, WFP food distribution at Maalimin food distribution centre
The World Food Programme’s top official in East Africa said his organization was proceeding on a “no regrets basis” in response to the drought in the region which has been causing “massive loss of livestock, failed crops, and people are being forced to move from their homes in search of humanitarian assistance.”
Speaking to reporters via teleconference from Nairobi today (10 Feb), Michael Dunford, WFP’s Regional Director for East Africa, said past experience has proven that “if we wait to launch humanitarian activities, often it is too late by the time it starts." He said in 2011 it is estimated that 250,000 people died of the famine in Somalia
Drought in the region has impacted the food security of some 13 million people southern Ethiopia, North-eastern Kenya and Somalia. Dunford said 5.5 million children are undernourished due to drought of which 1.7 million are acutely malnourished.
Dunford said WFP was calling for 327 million USD to respond to immediate needs of 4.5 million people over the next six months and help communities become more resilient to extreme climate shocks.
The WFP official said the drought is coming at worst possible time with numerous shocks being experienced, including conflicts, and the economic shock of COVID-19.
He said, “When you have these three shocks and stressors coming together simultaneously, it's putting an enormous amount of pressure on, particularly, food security across the region. We estimate that there are 60 million people across the Horn currently who are food insecure. Ironically, the population of the horn makes up only four percent of the global population, and yet it represents 20 percent of the population that is food insecure. So, huge discrepancies in this particular part of the world."
Dunford said there are a lot of distractions in the region, including elections in Somalia and Kenya and the conflict in Ethiopia. He said WFP wants to bring the world's attention to the drought situation across these three countries and ensure action is taken now.
Asked about humanitarian deliveries in northern Ethiopia, Dunford said WFP was hopeful to see some improvements, but it has not been able to move humanitarian aid in substantially. He said there have been some welcome relaxations by the government on moving food and other commodities by air, but needs cannot be met through those type of operations as they are too expensive and not sustainable. Additionally, he said, because of the embargo on fuel in the region, even if aid lands in the airport WFP cannot realistically move it further across the region.
The WFP official said, "We need some type of humanitarian corridor; a humanitarian pause that will allow us to upscale our operations now. We have the capacity to do so. We have the logistics know-how, and we actually have food in country to be distributed., But until we have those corridors operating at scale and sustained for extended periods of time, we are not able to achieve anything really. And this has been the great frustration ever since the middle of December when the convoys stopped."
Dunford said some 11 million people need assistance across the three regions, including some five million people in Tigray. HE said WFP requires some 330 million USD for the next six months for its operations across northern Ethiopia.
