GENEVA / HORN OF AFRICA DROUGHT
28-Feb-2023
00:02:15
As the drought in the Horn of Africa enters a sixth failed rainy season, the UN Refugee Agency today called for urgent assistance to help millions of displaced people from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya who struggle to survive amid scarce water sources, hunger, insecurity, and conflict. UNTV CH
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STORY: GENEVA / HORN OF AFRICA DROUGHT
TRT: 02:15
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 28 FEBRUARY 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
TRT: 02:15
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 28 FEBRUARY 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Med shot, UN Geneva flag alley
2. Wide shot, press room with moderator and screens displaying speakers
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“With no immediate end in sight to one of the longest and most severe droughts on record, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for US$ 137 million to provide life-saving aid to 3.3 million refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance, as well as affected local host communities.”
4. Med shot, Olga Sarrado speaking from the podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“The dangerous confluence of conflict and climate in the region is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted from their homes in search of safety and assistance.”
6. Close up, journalist listening
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“In Somalia alone, since the start of the year, over 287,000 people have been internally displaced due to conflict and drought. Due to space constraints, for instance, in Kenya’s Dadaab camps, arriving refugees seeking relief from this climate catastrophe have been forced to reside along the outskirts of the camps where assistance is limited.”
8. Close up, laptop screen with participants on Zoom
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“Over 8.3 million Somalis are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between January and March 2023, so just another month to go, including 322,000 in catastrophe IPC phase 5.”
10. Close up, camerawoman filming
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“Both women and children they have to walk long distances to access water and shelter, and they are most of the time arriving on their own, and this, of course, increases the exposure to gender-based violence. And also, we know that many children have been forced to drop school to help their families’ income”.
12. Med shot, journalists working at their laptops with Olga Sarrado in the background speaking from the podium
13. Med shot, UN technical staff managing Zoom meeting
14. Close up, hand-taking notes on paper
2. Wide shot, press room with moderator and screens displaying speakers
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“With no immediate end in sight to one of the longest and most severe droughts on record, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for US$ 137 million to provide life-saving aid to 3.3 million refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance, as well as affected local host communities.”
4. Med shot, Olga Sarrado speaking from the podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“The dangerous confluence of conflict and climate in the region is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted from their homes in search of safety and assistance.”
6. Close up, journalist listening
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“In Somalia alone, since the start of the year, over 287,000 people have been internally displaced due to conflict and drought. Due to space constraints, for instance, in Kenya’s Dadaab camps, arriving refugees seeking relief from this climate catastrophe have been forced to reside along the outskirts of the camps where assistance is limited.”
8. Close up, laptop screen with participants on Zoom
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“Over 8.3 million Somalis are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between January and March 2023, so just another month to go, including 322,000 in catastrophe IPC phase 5.”
10. Close up, camerawoman filming
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Olga Sarrado, Spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“Both women and children they have to walk long distances to access water and shelter, and they are most of the time arriving on their own, and this, of course, increases the exposure to gender-based violence. And also, we know that many children have been forced to drop school to help their families’ income”.
12. Med shot, journalists working at their laptops with Olga Sarrado in the background speaking from the podium
13. Med shot, UN technical staff managing Zoom meeting
14. Close up, hand-taking notes on paper
STORYLINE
As the drought in the Horn of Africa enters a sixth failed rainy season, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today (28 Feb) called for urgent assistance to help millions of displaced people from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya who struggle to survive amid scarce water sources, hunger, insecurity, and conflict.
“With no immediate end in sight to one of the longest and most severe droughts on record, UNHCR is appealing for US$ 137 million to provide life-saving aid to 3.3 million refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance, as well as affected local host communities”, said Olga Sarrado, UNHCR’s spokesperson when speaking to journalists at a briefing at the United Nations in Geneva.
Due to a scaled-up humanitarian response, famine has so far been averted in Somalia, but people continue to battle life-threatening food and water shortage resulting from massive losses of harvest, livestock, and income.
Local commodity prices have also remained at an all-time high and are out of reach for many.
“The dangerous confluence of conflict and climate in the region is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation,” said Sarrado.
“As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted from their homes in search of safety and assistance.”
According to UNHCR data, over 1.7 million people have been internally displaced in Ethiopia and Somalia due to the drought, most of them last year.
In addition, more than 180.000 refugees from Somalia and South Sudan crossed into drought-affected areas of Kenya and Ethiopia.
“In Somalia alone, since the start of the year, over 287.000 people have been internally displaced due to conflict and drought”, said Sarrado.
“Due to space constraints, for instance, in Kenya’s Dadaab camps, arriving refugees seeking relief from this climate catastrophe have been forced to reside along the outskirts of the camps where assistance is limited.”
As drought and insecurity persist in 2023, humanitarian needs are expected to continue to rise. UNHCR warns that IPC Phase 5 - the highest phase of the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale - could be reached.
This is the case when at least 20 percent of households face an extreme lack of food, and at least 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition.
According to UNHCR’s Sarrado, “over 8.3 million Somalis are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between January and March 2023, so just another month to go, including 322,000 in catastrophe IPC phase 5.”
Regarding protection, UNHCR is concerned about the challenging situation for the most vulnerable, including women and children, who make up 80 percent of those displaced.
“Both women and children they have to walk long distances to access water and shelter, and they are most of the time arriving on their own, and this, of course, increases the exposure to gender-based violence. And also, we know that many children have been forced to drop school to help their family’s income”.
UNHCR plans to support health facilities to provide nutritional assistance for women and children with high-nutrient feeding and medical treatment for diseases.
The water supply will be increased through water trucking and drilling additional boreholes.
Also, cash assistance will be prioritized for the most vulnerable so they can supplement their food needs and encourage traders to make food and other necessities available.
“With no immediate end in sight to one of the longest and most severe droughts on record, UNHCR is appealing for US$ 137 million to provide life-saving aid to 3.3 million refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance, as well as affected local host communities”, said Olga Sarrado, UNHCR’s spokesperson when speaking to journalists at a briefing at the United Nations in Geneva.
Due to a scaled-up humanitarian response, famine has so far been averted in Somalia, but people continue to battle life-threatening food and water shortage resulting from massive losses of harvest, livestock, and income.
Local commodity prices have also remained at an all-time high and are out of reach for many.
“The dangerous confluence of conflict and climate in the region is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation,” said Sarrado.
“As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted from their homes in search of safety and assistance.”
According to UNHCR data, over 1.7 million people have been internally displaced in Ethiopia and Somalia due to the drought, most of them last year.
In addition, more than 180.000 refugees from Somalia and South Sudan crossed into drought-affected areas of Kenya and Ethiopia.
“In Somalia alone, since the start of the year, over 287.000 people have been internally displaced due to conflict and drought”, said Sarrado.
“Due to space constraints, for instance, in Kenya’s Dadaab camps, arriving refugees seeking relief from this climate catastrophe have been forced to reside along the outskirts of the camps where assistance is limited.”
As drought and insecurity persist in 2023, humanitarian needs are expected to continue to rise. UNHCR warns that IPC Phase 5 - the highest phase of the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale - could be reached.
This is the case when at least 20 percent of households face an extreme lack of food, and at least 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition.
According to UNHCR’s Sarrado, “over 8.3 million Somalis are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between January and March 2023, so just another month to go, including 322,000 in catastrophe IPC phase 5.”
Regarding protection, UNHCR is concerned about the challenging situation for the most vulnerable, including women and children, who make up 80 percent of those displaced.
“Both women and children they have to walk long distances to access water and shelter, and they are most of the time arriving on their own, and this, of course, increases the exposure to gender-based violence. And also, we know that many children have been forced to drop school to help their family’s income”.
UNHCR plans to support health facilities to provide nutritional assistance for women and children with high-nutrient feeding and medical treatment for diseases.
The water supply will be increased through water trucking and drilling additional boreholes.
Also, cash assistance will be prioritized for the most vulnerable so they can supplement their food needs and encourage traders to make food and other necessities available.
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