The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
As Somalia is suffering from one of its worst droughts in recent times, UNICEF warned today that 1.4 million children – nearly half of the country’s under five population - are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition out of which 330,000 children will require treatment for severe acute malnutrition. Funding is immediately needed to procure nutrition supplies and avert deaths, said UNICEF's Communication Chief in Somalia when speaking at a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva.
“The time to act is NOW. And when the international community waits until the famine is declared, as we learned from 2011, that's probably a bit too late”, said Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Communication Chief in Somalia. He added that “a lot of the mortality happens before the famine is declared. And, of course, we know that when you begin to see malnutrition go up and then that is compounded by an outbreak such as measles or cholera, mortality very, very quickly escalates.”
UNICEF is appealing for US$48 million and urgently needs US$7 million by the end of March 2022 to procure 104,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutics Foods for the treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition.
The Horn of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia) is currently experiencing its worst droughts in recent history after three consecutive seasons of failed rains and with potentially facing a fourth one between March-May 2022.
According to UNICEF’s Victor Chinyama “Somalia is the most affected with about 90% of the country undergoing a severe drought. And data that was released last week shows that about 4.1 million people in Somalia will need urgent humanitarian support and that is a quarter of the entire population of 16 million.”
He added that “1.4 million children are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition and of those about 330,000 require treatment for severe acute malnutrition.”
A critical shortage of water has left 2.6 million people in need of urgent water supply with water prices have gone up by 72 %. A lack of water heightens disease outbreaks, such as measles and cholera.
“We know that the lack of water also gives rise to other risks, particularly of diseases outbreaks. And we have a measles outbreak in Baidoa. But also, measles has been reported among Somali refugees that are living in Ethiopia. So, this year, for example, we're looking at 7,500 reported cases of measles”, said UNICEF’s Communication chief.
The risk of a severely wasted child dying from measles is 11 times higher than for a well-nourished child. So spikes in diseases such as cholera and measles are clear danger signs for children.
In order to survive, families are taking desperate measures. Since November, about 500,000 people have been displaced in search of food, water and pasture, adding to the 2,9 million already internally displaced.
“We know that when people flee their homes from the 2011 and 2017 drought, they're the most vulnerable. Certainly, the highest numbers of deaths were recorded among people that had been displaced and had moved to other areas in search of humanitarian assistance”, reported Victor Chinyama.
As drought exacerbates protection risks for children, UNICEF is worried about sexual exploitation and abuse as well as child marriage. In 2021, 1,200 children (including 45 girls) were recruited and used by armed groups, 1,000 children were abducted.
“That one issue that worries us in terms of the risks that children are exposed to such as sexual violence, exploitation, gender-based violence. And in the context of Somalia, we cannot talk about displacement risks without addressing the specter of children being abducted and recruited by armed groups, for example, such as Al-Shabaab.”
-end-
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations Palace of Nations, Geneva. UN flag alley with flags flying.
- Wide shot, press room UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication in Somalia: “The time to act is NOW. And when the international community waits until the famine is declared, as we learned from 2011, that's probably a bit too late. A lot of the mortality happens before the famine is declared. And, of course, we know that when you begin to see malnutrition go up and then that is compounded by an outbreak such as measles or cholera, mortality very, very quickly escalates.”
- Medium shot, masked participants listening.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication in Somalia: “Somalia is the most affected with about 90% of the country undergoing a severe drought. And data that was released last week shows that about 4.1 million people in Somalia will need urgent humanitarian support and that is a quarter of the entire population of 16 million.”
- Close-up shot, fingers typing at the keyboard of laptop
- SOUNDBITE (English): Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication in Somalia: “4 million children are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition and of those about 330,000 require treatment for severe acute malnutrition.”
- Medium shot, masked participants listening
- SOUNDBITE (English): Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication in Somalia: “We know that the lack of water also gives rise to other risks, particularly of diseases outbreaks. And we have a measles outbreak in Baidoa. But also, measles has been reported among Somali refugees that are living in Ethiopia. So, this year, for example, we're looking at 7,500 reported cases of measles.”
- Medium shot, participants sitting in front of the desk, with camera on the rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication in Somalia: “We know that when people flee their homes from the 2011 and 2017 drought, they're the most vulnerable. Certainly, the highest numbers of deaths were recorded among people that had been displaced and had moved to other areas in search of humanitarian assistance.”
- Medium shot, masked participants listening carefully with TV screen on the rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Victor Chinyama, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication in Somalia: “That one issue that worries us in terms of the risks that children are exposed to such as sexual violence, exploitation, gender-based violence. And in the context of Somalia, we cannot talk about displacement risks without addressing the specter of children being abducted and recruited by armed groups, for example, such as Al-Shabaab.”
- Medium shot, camera on the front with TV screen showing the podium speakers on the rear
- Close-up shot, participant taking notes on the notebook.
- Close-up shot, participant pointing at the laptop screen displaying the press briefing.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.