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New United Nations envoy named

    NAIROBI

    United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik as his new special humanitarian envoy for the Horn and eastern Africa.

    Annan said Bondevik would succeed Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland, who is now the Secretary-General's special envoy for the future status process for Kosovo.

    More than 40 percent of the population are currently undernourished in the Horn of Africa, one of the most food-insecure regions in the world.

    According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, severe drought is threatening the lives of an estimated 11 million people across Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

    UN News reported on Friday that the drought compounds what is already a dire humanitarian situation in countries beset by years of high malnutrition and morbidity rates, chronic food insecurity and conflict.

    Bondevik served as prime minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005. After leaving office, he founded the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights, where he serves as president.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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