United Nations Radio

The United Nations on Friday launched an appeal for more than $20 million to work with governmental partners and non-governmental organizations to help up to a million drought-affected people in Syria for a period of six months.

The Syrian government estimates that up to a million people - predominantly herders and subsistence farmers - are at risk of losing their livelihoods and of increased malnutrition.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says while the government has lent herders feed that could be repaid next season, and distributed free veterinary medicines and vaccines, the needed assistance is beyond the government's capacity and resources.

OCHA warns "the situation is not expected to improve until spring 2009, if the rains do not fail for a second year in a row."

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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