UN / ETHIOPIA HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

STORY: UN / ETHIOPIA HUMANITARIAN UPDATE
TRT: 01:53
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 31 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

RECENT - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters

31 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Dujarric walking to podium, journalists, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Turning to Ethiopia, where our humanitarian colleagues are responding to continuing urgent needs across the country. In the north, access continues to improve, and we, along with our non-governmental organization partners, have expanded operations in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. In Tigray, more than 4.7 million people have received food assistance this year. And in Afar and Amara, more than 2.5 million people have received food assistance since mid-November of last year.”
4. Wide shot, Dujarric at podium, press room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Along with the Government, we are scaling up the response in the south and the east, where some 11 million people in drought-impacted areas need emergency food support. Our humanitarian colleagues note that in the past week, floods in parts of the Somali region have impacted close to 230,000 men, women, and children. Homes, farms, and infrastructure have been significantly damaged. As we are already present in the region for the drought response, we are now mobilizing support for those impacted by the floods.”
6. Wide shot, Dujarric at podium, press room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak in parts of Oromia and Somali regions is spreading, with more than 2,300 cases reported, which is twice the number of reported cases in January. Fifty-one people have died, according to authorities. The response is ongoing, but we need more resources to contain the outbreak. Given the scale of the needs across the country, additional funding is critical. We need close to $4 billion this year, but we have only received $727 million, which is only 18 percent.”
8. Med shot, journalist, press room

STORYLINE:
The spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, updated journalists on the humanitarian response to urgent needs across Ethiopia.

Briefing journalists today (31 Mar) in New York, Dujarric said that access continues to improve in the north of the country, and “we, along with our non-governmental organization partners, have expanded operations in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions.”

In Tigray, more than 4.7 million people have received food assistance this year.

In Afar and Amara, more than 2.5 million people have received food assistance since mid-November of last year.

Dujarric also said that along with the Government, “we are scaling up the response in the south and the east, where some 11 million people in drought-impacted areas need emergency food support. Our humanitarian colleagues note that in the past week, floods in parts of the Somali region have impacted close to 230,000 men, women, and children.”

He continued, “Homes, farms, and infrastructure have been significantly damaged. As we are already present in the region for the drought response, we are now mobilizing support for those impacted by the floods.”

Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak in parts of Oromia and Somali regions is spreading, with more than 2,300 cases reported, twice the number of reported cases in January.

Fifty-one people have died, according to authorities.

Dujarric said, “The response is ongoing, but we need more resources to contain the outbreak. Given the scale of the needs across the country, additional funding is critical. We need close to $4 billion this year, but we have only received $727 million, which is only 18 percent.”