UN launches relief action plan and appeal

The UN Country Team (UNCT) in Ethiopia on Monday launched a special Relief Action Plan and Appeal for the most severely drought- affected areas of the country. In a press release, it highlighted the urgent need for additional pledges to meet drought relief food requirements throughout the country. The statement also lists a number of priority interventions, valued at approximately US $7.5 million, in the health, water, sanitation, nutrition and agriculture fields to be undertaken over the next three months. The worst affected areas are south Tigray, Wag Harma, north and south Wello, east Harerge, Welayita and Konso Special Wereda, the UNCT statement said. "Without additional food aid pledges and special interventions, the worst drought-affected areas risk a major humanitarian disaster characterised by large-scale population migrations and displacement, a major increase in child and maternal mortality levels due to malnutrition and disease, and the possible need to open hundreds of feeding centres," the statement said. "The effects of such deterioration may well take years of special rehabilitation efforts, effectively erasing modest developmental gains made this decade."