ADDIS ABABA (KAAB TV) – More than 21 million people in Ethiopia needs emergency assistance as food shortages worsen.
Before the meeting, organisers said that they weren’t expecting to collect all of the money, but rather to begin reducing the gap between needs and available money.
“We understand that this is just the beginning, and we look forward to continued and increased support throughout the year,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya in a statement.
Twenty countries have made new pledges, including Ethiopia’s main donor, the United States, which has offered an additional 145 million euros.
Britain, which hosted Tuesday’s summit, has pledged more than 117 million euros, while the European Union reports that its member states have pledged more than 131 million euros.
Ethiopians face ongoing political conflicts, economic and environment issues, as well as rising hunger and malnutrition rates.
The United Nations expects that more than 3 billion euros will be required this year alone, including help for up to four million internally displaced people.
Prior to the rescue plan, it was funded at less than 5%.
“The gap is still quite huge… “We really need to do something before it’s too late,” Shiferaw Teklemariam, head of Ethiopia’s disaster risk management committee, told reporters in Geneva before the conference started.
The United Nations has stated that an initial funding of billions of dollars is required to cope with emergency relief till the end of June.
There is also a need to prepare for the so-called “lean season” of July to September, when around 11 million people are expected to face food shortages.
The humanitarian situation in Ethiopia is severe, but there is still time to intervene to reverse the downward trend, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA.
Britain’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrew Mitchell, said the situation is very alarming, but he added that the international community, which works closely with the Ethiopian government, “has the ability to remove it”.
Washington also emphasised the necessity for immediate action.
“We have millions and millions of people in Ethiopia who are facing severe food shortages,” USAID Deputy Director Isobel Coleman said before the audience warning that “the humanitarian situation in the country is still one very, very soft”.
Without additional assistance, “the consequences could be dire,” she warned.
‘Not enough aid to distribute.’
Coleman also stated that stringent steps will be required to ensure that the help reaches its intended recipients.
Last year, USAID and the UN World Food Programme just banned all food aid to Ethiopia, blaming a “widespread and coordinated” operation to divert donated supplies, which the Ethiopian government denies.
The administration of the Tigray region of Ethiopia warned last December that it is on the brink of famine.
“A lot of this instability is caused by conflict,” Coleman said.
“Until we have peace and security in the country, which allows full access to