PRESS RELEASE
UNICEF refutes international media reports
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says recent international media reports concerning the number of children in Ethiopia needing supplemental food aid were a complete misrepresentation.
At a press conference held here yesterday [3rd], UNICEF criticised international media reports, which had stated that six million children below the age of five are affected by acute malnutrition in Ethiopia .
UNICEF Ethiopia representative, Bjorn Ljungqvist, said his organization did not provide the figures that were broadcast by the international media.
Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) Director General, Simon Mechale, said the number of children with a severe and acute malnutrition problem is estimated to be 75,000 for the whole country.
The poor distribution of Belg rains, which is a manifestation of global climate change, has added an extra burden to Ethiopian households, who already suffered from critical food shortages.
Accordingly, he said some 4.5 million people need emergency food assistance, excluding those people who are beneficiaries of the on-going safety-net programme.
There is a total relief requirement of 300,000 metric tonnes of food, he said. The agency has already distributed more than 81,000 metric tonnes of food across the nation.
He said considerable efforts are being made by both the Ethiopian government and its humanitarian partners to address the prevailing humanitarian situation in areas where children are affected.
Minister of Health, Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, said the government is aggressively expanding its Health Extension Programme. Some 82% of the work is achieved in terms of the deployment of health extension workers in every village.
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Fidele Sarassoro, also said there are good working relations between the Ethiopian government and the humanitarian community in meeting the challenges faced by the country.
He noted that the government has taken steps to strengthen the coordination of emergency response at all levels to meet the challenges faced in the area of food, nutrition, health and water.
The UN has been providing solid assistance to help Ethiopia address the challenge and it will further continue the support in a strengthened manner.
In common with countries world-wide, food and fuel price hikes have had a further negative impact on the drought situation in Ethiopia .
22nd - 23rd August 2008 - Invest in Africa Expo
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