UAE Contributes 60 Million USD to Saving Lives in Ethiopia: World Food Program

Addis Ababa July 19/2022/ENA/ The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has welcomed the United Arab Emirates 60 million USD contribution to support the humanitarian response in Ethiopia.

According to a press release of WFP sent to ENA today, the funding will provide emergency food and nutrition assistance in response to an alarming rise in food insecurity, particularly in the north of the country.

More than 13 million people require humanitarian food assistance in conflict-affected Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions, the release pointed out, added that this comes against the backdrop of the global food crisis where rising costs are compounding woe.

The UAE funds, delivered through the Famine Relief Fund, will allow WFP to continue to address the urgent food needs of 1.6 million people in conflict-affected areas.

WFP’s Country Director and Representative in Ethiopia, Claude Jibidar said this new funding from the UAE comes to Ethiopians in their hour of need.

“We’ve seen some of the biggest increases in food insecurity across areas that have borne the brunt of recent fighting with homes, harvests, and livestock lost to the conflict and the country’s worst drought in 40 years,” Jibidar added.

The country director welcomed the support and partnership of the UAE contribution which will save the lives of millions.

New contributions from the UAE and other key donors have allowed WFP to continue scaling up its operations in northern Ethiopia during a critical time for communities ahead of the planting season and since the Government’s announcement of a humanitarian truce in March, the press release stated.

It further noted that WFP-led convoys have been flowing at pace into Tigray over the past ten weeks, over 3,800 trucks have delivered over 130,000 tonnes of food and other lifesaving humanitarian supplies.

With the UAE’s support, WFP will deliver life-saving nutrition treatment to children and women who are malnourished in Ethiopia due to the impacts of conflict and drought.  

As part of their support to Ethiopia, the UAE airlifted specialized nutritious foods into the Tigray region.

Meanwhile, almost a third of parents (32 percent) in Afar zone 4, and 16 per cent in Amhara reported that their young children under five had been admitted to health centers in the previous three months due to malnutrition, according to a recent WFP assessment.

WFP provides food assistance to over 700,000 refugees every month in Ethiopia; however, due to recent funding shortfalls, only 50 percent of their daily nutritional requirements are currently being met.

The release pointed out that the UAE contribution will help to cover 20 percent of food assistance to refugees in all camps.

Despite the strong support so far this year, the WFP’s ability to maintain its food and nutrition relief efforts through to the end of the year hangs in the balance.

WFP is aiming to reach more than 11 million of the most vulnerable over the next six months, but is grappling with a staggering 470 million USD funding gap, it was learned.