25 Jul 2011

UN / HORN OF AFRICA EMERGENCY WRAP

The international community rallied today to the aid of drought and famine-affected populations in the Horn of Africa with an immediate, twin-track programme designed to avert an imminent humanitarian catastrophe and build long-term food security in the region. FAO / WFP / UNTV

Posted at: July 25, 2011 5:07 pm

Duration: 03:33

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / HORN OF AFRICA WRAP
TRT: 3:33
SOURCE: FAO / UNTV / WFP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 25 JULY 2011, ROME, ITALY / NEW YORK / 23 JULY, WAJIR, DADAAB, KENYA

SHOTLIST:

FAO - 25 JULY 2011, ROME, ITALY

1. Wide shot, meeting 
2. SOUNDBITE (French) Jacques Diouf, Director-General, FAO:
"It is imperative to stop the famine that continues right now to grow in the region of the Horn of Africa, especially in southern Somalia. We must save lives and livelihoods and respond to this urgent situation to prevent that it gets worse. The combination of drought, inflation and conflicts has created a catastrophic situation that requires massive and urgent international aid."
3. Cutaway, audience
4. Wide shot, press conference
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, Emergency Relief coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations:
"We're all agreed that more needs to be done but we are in better place than, much better place than we have ever been but we are dealing with fragile environments, insecurity, conflict, a whole range of factors, population growth, climate change. On the issue of our donors I think we must recognize that in the last ten days we have received an additional two hundred million from our donors so lets not start being too critical yet we have an additional billion to raise. We have to keep the pressure up. Meetings like this are part of the process."

WFP - 23 JULY 2011, WAJIR, KENYA

6. Various shots, carcasses of cows and goats (herders have lost 50 % of their livestock) 
7. Wide shot, delegation including Joset Sheeran and Jackes Diouf visiting WFP food distribution site

WFP - 23 JULY 2011, WAJIR, DADAAB, KENYA

8. Various shots, people in the camp
9. Various shots, mothers with emaciated children at Giz Hospital in Dadaab
10. Various shots, WFP distributing food to refugees 
11. Wide shot, woman walking with her bag of food

UNTV - 25 JULY 2011, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

12. Wide shot, Ambassador Peter Wittig approaches microphone
13. Cutaway, journalists
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ambassador Peter Wittig, President of the Security Council for the month of July and Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations:
"The members of the Security Council expressed their serious concern at the shortfalls in humanitarian funding for Somalia and urged all members states to contribute to the consolidated appeal for Somalia. They urged that that the international community come together to prevent the crisis from deepening."
15. Cutaway, journalist
16. Ambassador Wittig leaves microphone behind

STORYLINE:

Delegates at an emergency meeting in Rome today organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognized that the hunger crisis in East Africa could rapidly worsen into a humanitarian disaster if a response is delayed.

"It is imperative to stop the famine that continues right now to grow in the region of the Horn of Africa, especially in southern Somalia", Jacques Diouf, the FAO Director-General, told the meeting attended by ministers and other senior government representatives from the agency's 191 Member States.

"The combination of drought, inflation and conflicts has created a catastrophic situation that requires massive and urgent international aid", said Diouf.

Delegates at the meeting agreed that governments of the countries affected by the food emergency would manage response efforts in line with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's (IASC) Horn of Africa Plan of Action; and they stressed that there was still a "window of opportunity" to support affected populations, including farmers, fishing communities and herders to restore their livelihoods and called for a special focus pastoralists and agro-pastoralists.

Later at a press conference, Valerie Amos, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator agreed that more needed to be done but also recognized that that in the last ten days an additional (USD) $200 million had been received from country donors. "So lets not start being too critical yet we have an additional billion to raise, we have to keep the pressure up. Meetings like this are part of the process," Amos said.

An estimated 11.6 million people in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia are facing severe food shortages with rates of malnutrition and related deaths having reached alarming levels in many parts of the region. The UN last week declared a state on famine in two areas of southern Somalia, the worst affected country.

As humanitarian operations gather pace, WFP is feeding 1.5 million people in Somalia and making efforts to reach another 2.2 million in areas of the south that had remained inaccessible. Food drops are being considered, according to an OCHA update.

Meanwhile at UN headquarters in New York, President of the Security Council German Ambassador Peter Wittig in a statement noted that Council members had expressed "grave concern" at the famine affecting Southern Somalia and the acute malnutrition in parts of the Horn of Africa triggered by the drought.

Wittig also said the Council urged all parties to ensure full safe and unhindered access for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to persons in need of assistance across Somalia, and urged all parties and armed groups to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and supplies.