OCHA: A Global Call for Support and Action: Responding to El Niño, 26 April 2016
02.05.2016
A Global Call for Support and Action: Responding to El Niño. Tuesday 26 April 2016. Statement by Norway.
- Thank you, chair, for convening this meeting as well as the technical briefings held this morning.
- Norway agrees that the international community must increase its efforts to prevent the dire consequences of the current El Niño.
- We share the view that the number of people in need of food, water, nutrition and health may rise drastically unless we step up.
- Many countries are affected. We are in particular concerned with the situation in Ethiopia, where over 10 million people are in need of emergency food assistance.
- While we need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, we also need to build resilience and strengthen preparedness for similar situations in the future.
- We would like to commend the efforts made by the Ethiopian authorities themselves. Over the last years, Norway has supported an Ethiopian government led programme on climate smart agriculture with the view of also making communities more resilient to climate change.
- In response to the current El Niño, Norway increased its humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia in October last year. In March this year Norway provided 20 million Norwegian kroner – or 2.5 million US dollars – in food aid to Ethiopia, through World Food Program.
- Today, the Norwegian government announced an additional 30 million Norwegian kroner – or 3.8 million US dollars – in humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia. This support will be provided through NGOs and secondments from NORCAP to the UN response in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
Thank you.