UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Tigray Update - WFP
/
1:57
/
MP4
/
144 MB

Edited News | WFP

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Tigray Update - WFP

UN World Food Programme hails aid flights to Mekelle in Ethiopia’s stricken Tigray region

Aid flights have resumed to Ethiopia’s wartorn Tigray region after a month-long break linked to the eight-month conflict there, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.

WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri confirmed that the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which is operated by the UN agency, had completed its “first scheduled passenger flight to Mekelle on Thursday”.

The airplane transported 30 aid workers “from multiple humanitarian organisations working to deliver urgently needed assistance to conflict-affected communities across Tigray”, the agency said in statement.

Despite the positive development, which will see twice-weekly flights into Mekelle, the WFP official said that there is still extreme concern for some four million people in Tigray.

Seven in 10 people in the northwest region have high levels of acute food insecurity and need emergency assistance after more than eight months of fighting between Ethiopian Government troops and those loyal to the dominant regional force, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

But the humanitarian response has been severely hampered “by a severe lack of sufficient food and other humanitarian supplies, limited communication services and no commercial supply chain”, Mr. Phiri said.

Last Sunday, a 10-truck WFP aid convoy was attacked in neighbouring Afar region, while attempting to transport essential food aid to Tigray, where 400,000 people face famine.

“In June, WFP reached over 185,000 people with nutrition support but progress in early July was much slower due to security concerns with 30,000 people reached in July so far,” Mr Phiri said.

“WFP is now delivering nutrition support in areas previously inaccessible throughout the conflict, including those with high malnutrition rates. Now, all this is a fraction of the number of people we should be reaching at this stage.”

In the past month, the UN agency delivered food assistance to more than 730,000 people in parts of southern Tigray and northwest Tigray.

This includes some 40,000 people in Zana who were reached with food assistance for the first time.

WFP also hopes to reach an additional 80,000 people elsewhere in the northwest in the coming days. Once this is completed, food stocks in the northwest are likely to run out, Mr. Phiri said.

“Our teams are telling us that the people we are reaching, particularly in areas that were previously inaccessible such as Zana - are the furthest behind,” the WFP official warned. “They have been completely cut off and living in dire conditions. These are people who have been displaced and now shelter in schools and other impromptu shelters; a lot of them missed both the harvest and planting season due to fighting. Others had livestock and grain stocks completely looted. They are literally living from hand to mouth and are completely reliant on WFP assistance to survive.”

A WFP-led convoy of more than 200 trucks carrying food and other essential humanitarian supplies is on standby in Semera, Afar, “and expected to depart for Tigray as soon as security clearances are assured”, said Mr. Phiri, who reiterated WFP’s call for faster, free and unimpeded access into Tigray.

ends

STORY: Tigray Update – WFP

TRT: 01 min 57s

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 23 July 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST

  1. Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying in the wind, a beautiful day.
  2. Wide shot of press conference room at UN Geneva, TV camera on tripod in centre, podium and host/participants to rear and to sides.
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, UN World Food Programme (WFP): “The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service has completed the first scheduled passenger flight to Mekelle on Thursday, transporting 30 aid workers from multiple humanitarian organisations who are working to deliver urgently needed assistance to conflict-affected communities across Tigray.”
  4. Close-up, observer, masked and with headband, with UN staff to rear.
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, UN World Food Programme (WFP): “In June, WFP reached over 185,000 people with nutrition support but progress in early July was much slower due to security concerns with 30,000 people reached in July so far. WFP is now delivering nutrition support in areas previously inaccessible throughout the conflict, including those with high malnutrition rates. Now, all this is a fraction of the number of people we should be reaching at this stage.”
  6. Close-up, UN staff member, masked and wearing headphones, with UN staff to rear.
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, UN World Food Programme (WFP): “Our teams are telling us that the people we are reaching, particularly in areas that were previously inaccessible such as Zana - are the furthest behind. They have been completely cut off and living in dire conditions. These are people who have been displaced and now shelter in schools and other impromptu shelters; a lot of them missed both the harvest and planting season due to fighting. Others had livestock and grain stocks completely looted. They are literally living from hand to mouth and are completely reliant on WFP assistance to survive.”
  8. Close-up, hand holding pen, taking notes on notepad.
  9. Close-up, WFP spokesperson’s face in TV camera viewfinder, podium to rear.
  10. Medium shot, large-screen TV showing broadcast image of WFP spokesperson and podium.


Documents 1
Download Storyline
Download

Audio Files 1
Download UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Tigray Update - WFP
Download

Similar Stories

Gaza hospital attack - WHO

1

1

1

Edited News | WHO

Gaza hospital attack - WHO ENG FRA

No evacuation order given before Kamal Adwan Hospital strike, says WHO
One of the last partially functional health centres in northern Gaza was reportedly hit again overnight into Friday by several strikes, leaving four health workers among the casualties and the dead, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Syria, Lebanon update – OCHA, WFP, World Vision International

2

1

2

Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA

Syria, Lebanon update – OCHA, WFP, World Vision International ENG FRA

More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group. 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Georgia

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Georgia ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called on the Georgian authorities to respect and protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly following several nights of protests that were marred by violence, and dispersed using disproportionate, and in some cases unnecessary, force by the police in the capital, Tbilisi.

Escalation of hostilities in northwest Syria - OHCHR

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

Escalation of hostilities in northwest Syria - OHCHR ENG FRA

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said today he was extremely concerned about the recent escalation in hostilities in northwest Syria, which further compounds the suffering endured by millions of civilians.

Syria humanitarian update OHCHR - WHO - OCHA

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , WHO , OCHA

Syria humanitarian update OHCHR - WHO - OCHA ENG FRA

Syria escalation: Civilians face deadly attacks, health care in distress and aid access compromised

The ongoing escalation of violence in northwest Syria linked to the wider conflict in Gaza and Lebanon has left civilians dead and injured, hospitals “overwhelmed” and attacks on healthcare on the rise, the UN warned on Tuesday.

OCHA - Press Conference: launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025

2

1

4

Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA

OCHA - Press Conference: launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 ENG FRA

Multiple unending conflicts, climate change and a glaring disregard for long-established international humanitarian law are set to leave a staggering 305 million people in need of lifesaving assistance next year, the UN’s top aid official warned on Wednesday.


Embargo Wednesday, 4 December 2024 at 0600 CET / 0000 ET

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on plight of civilians in Ukraine as result of attacks on energy infrastructure

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on plight of civilians in Ukraine as result of attacks on energy infrastructure ENG FRA

The UN Rights Office on Friday warned about the plight of civilians in Ukraine after further attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.

Submarine cable resilience – ITU - 29 November 2024

1

1

1

Edited News | ITU

Submarine cable resilience – ITU - 29 November 2024 ENG FRA

An international panel has been set up to protect undersea communications cables that are crucial for international trade and security, the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said on Friday. The creation of the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience comes amid an ongoing investigation into the severing of two fibre optic cables in the Baltic Sea, in less than 24 hours between 17 and 18 November.

ITU - Press Conference: Launch of Facts & Figures 2024

2

1

2

Press Conferences , Edited News | ITU

ITU - Press Conference: Launch of Facts & Figures 2024 ENG FRA

An estimated 5.5 billion people have access to the internet in 2024, an increase of 227 million people based on revised estimates for 2023, the UN specialized agency for telecommunications, ITU, said on Wednesday. 

 

UNAIDS - Press Conference: Launch of World AIDS Day Report 2024

2

1

2

Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS

UNAIDS - Press Conference: Launch of World AIDS Day Report 2024 ENG FRA

Launch of World AIDS Day Report 2024—Take The Rights Path 

Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to protect media freedom

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG

Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to protect media freedom ENG FRA

A joint report issued this morning by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) paints a disturbing picture of the media landscape in the country since the Taliban takeover. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk says.

Lebanon ceasefire call OHCHR 26 November 2024

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

Lebanon ceasefire call OHCHR 26 November 2024 ENG FRA

UN human rights chief Volker Türk lent his weight to growing ceasefire calls in Lebanon on Tuesday, amid reports that the senior Israeli cabinet members were due to meet on a deal to end more than a year of conflict with Hezbollah militants, sparked by the war in Gaza