Special envoy to discuss humanitarian situation

The UN secretary-general's special envoy for the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa will start a two-day visit to Eritrea on Wednesday, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced.

Martti Ahtisaari, a former president of Finland and recently chairman of the Independent Panel on the Safety and Security of UN Personnel in Iraq, will proceed to Ethiopia after Eritrea. This is his third visit to Eritrea.

OCHA said the envoy would, during the visit, be updated on the humanitarian situation in the region and highlight any gaps in assistance. He would also discuss the progress made in the implementation of recovery and food security strategies that could reduce the region's vulnerability to drought, including Eritrea's Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, the National Food Security Strategy and the recently approved Integrated Recovery Programme.

"An estimated 1.9 million people are unlikely to be able to feed themselves in Eritrea this year. The need for a timely and adequate response to avert a humanitarian catastrophe is a priority," OCHA said. "The country has suffered four years of drought with rains in 2003 below average, resulting in crop failure and loss of livestock."

"Compounding this is the continuing border conflict with Ethiopia," the statement said. "Household coping mechanisms and safety nets that would normally prevent starvation are being eroded."