The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
After a historic drought triggered by five consecutive poor rainy seasons, skyrocketing food prices and an intensifying conflict, Somalia has been lingering on the brink of famine.
Although famine has officially not yet been declared, the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which describes the severity of food emergencies has drawn a grim picture.
“The IPC Report found out about 6.4 million Somalis are facing acute food insecurity in the coming months”, said Etienne Peterschmitt, the Somalia Representative for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) when talking to media at the United Nations in Geneva. “That number could increase to 8.3 million people by April next year, and the number of Somalis facing catastrophic food insecurity, or famine conditions, could increase to over 700,000 people by June 2023”.
According to FAO, humanitarian assistance needs to be both scaled up and sustained to prevent famine in Somalia. The prolonged drought conditions have left pastoral, agropastoral and farming communities unable to cope and as their livelihoods collapse, many are leaving their homes and moving to already crowded displacement camps in towns to seek humanitarian assistance.
“While the situation remains dire, there is still time to turn the tide by addressing the immediate needs of rural communities who are among those who are at greatest risk from a food security but also nutrition, health as well as water and sanitation perspective”, noted FAO’s Mr. Peterschmitt.
The affected rural communities require urgent assistance between now and June 2023, with famine projected in three areas if assistance doesn’t reach the most vulnerable. Approximately 1.8 million children are of particular concern, including over 500,000 of them who are likely to be severely malnourished till July 2023.
“Earlier projections of famine have so far been averted because funding to humanitarian assistance has covered a sufficient portion of the most basic needs for a few months at a time, keeping Famine thresholds at bay – at least for now,” stressed Mr. Peterschmitt.
The generous funding has also allowed the World Food Programme (WFP) stepping up to deliver life-saving food and nutrition close to 5 million people in November.
“The longest drought in over 40 years is still ongoing, with no end in sight”, said El-Khidir Daloum, WFP’s Somalia Country Director. “It is still destroying lives and it is still killing people. On the ground, we see the impacts every day. We hear from the people whose children have died on the journey after leaving their homes in search of assistance.”
WFP stresses that significant investment in resilience programmes that combine nutrition, education, livelihoods, and long-term food security support are needed as the way forward. Even if the worst outcomes of this drought could be kept at bay, the next drought could come back again, warned WFP’s Somalia Country Director.
”We must also continue to invest in recovery and in long-term, sustainable solutions, under the leadership of the Government of Somalia, to protect Somalis against future climate shocks. The current drought it is unusually long but it is not an isolated incident in a country on the front lines of the climate change.”
-ends-
STORY: Somalia Update – Food security FAO-WFP
TRT: 2 min 17s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 20 December 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with spokesperson and panel of speakers on screens.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO Somalia Representative:” The IPC Report found out about 6.4 million Somalis are facing acute food insecurity in the coming months. That number could increase to 8.3 million people by April next year, and the number of Somalis facing catastrophic food insecurity, or famine conditions, could increase to over 700,000 people by June 2023”.
- Close-up shot, hands typing on laptop
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO Somalia Representative:” While the situation remains dire, there is still time to turn the tide by addressing the immediate needs of rural communities who are among those who are at greatest risk from a food security but also nutrition, health as well as water and sanitation perspective”.
- Close up, journalists listening.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO Somalia Representative: “Earlier projections of famine have so far been averted because funding to humanitarian assistance has covered a sufficient portion of the most basic needs for a few months at a time, keeping Famine thresholds at bay – at least for now”.
- Medium shot, journalists writing with screens of speakers in the background.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - El-Khidir Daloum, WFP Somalia Country Director:” The longest drought in over 40 years is still ongoing, with no end in sight. It is still destroying lives and it is still killing people. On the ground, we see the impacts every day. We hear from the people whose children have died on the journey after leaving their homes in search of assistance.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - El-Khidir Daloum, WFP Somalia Country Director:” We must also continue to invest in recovery and in long-term, sustainable solutions, under the leadership of the Government of Somalia, to protect Somalis against future climate shocks. The current drought it is unusually long but it is not an isolated incident in a country on the front lines of the climate change.”
- Medium shot, pressroom with journalists.
- Close-up, journalist writing by hand.
- Close-up, journalists listening.
Similar Stories
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.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.