IOM Appeals Assistance for More Than 1.2 Million People in Ethiopia - ENA English
IOM Appeals Assistance for More Than 1.2 Million People in Ethiopia
ENA,March 14/2020 The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has appealed for 77.6 million USD to provide humanitarian assistance for more than 1.2 million internally displaced persons, returnees, host community members, and migrants in Ethiopia.
IOM press release issued today noted that social, economic, political and climatic change factors drive populations to leave their homes both from within and outside Ethiopia's borders,
IOM Ethiopia Emergency and Post-Crisis Programme Coordinator, Ester Ruiz de Azua said, “We (therefore) call on the donor community to continue providing life-saving support to the people of Ethiopia. This appeal aims to reach 1.2 million people in need. The international community must act in this critical moment – for Ethiopia 2020 and beyond.”
The organization revealed that it plans to provide support following two principal objectives: saving lives while responding to the humanitarian crisis, and supporting the transition and recovery of crisis-affected communities.
The coordinator said community-based stabilization, peace building and reconciliation efforts are needed to resolve and prevent further conflict-induced internal displacement.
Relocation assistance to refugees is a vital lifesaving operation and failure to do so may result in increased humanitarian needs and protection concerns for refugee and host communities.
Living conditions for IDPs, returnees and many host communities are dire. Shelter, safe access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), basic health services, and critical non-food items (NFIs) are urgently needed, the release stressed.
For crisis-affected communities, IOM Ethiopia seeks to continue supporting the government in achieving durable solutions, which include voluntary return, local integration, and relocation in various regions of the country. Peace building and peace preservation, community stabilization and displacement tracking for recovery and crisis prevention are also a strong focus for this year.