Maputo/Geneva, 15 July 2016. Ahead of a high-level event in support of the response to the impacts of El Niño and climate change in New York on Tuesday, CARE urges the international community to take immediate action to scale-up live-saving humanitarian assistance. The last El Niño was one of the strongest on record and its impact is now affecting more than 60 million people, leaving millions in urgent need of assistance. So far, there is a funding gap of 2.5 billion dollars between the amount needed for the countries affected and what has been provided by donors.
“The international community has to stop looking away. We need to act now before it is too late. El Niño might sound abstract and technical, but for millions the impact is very concrete. Some people eat nothing but wild leaves, children are going to bed hungry and many are left without any resources or assistance”, says Emma Naylor-Ngugi, CARE’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
As one of the most affected areas Southern Africa is experiencing the worst drought in 35 years, following the failure of two consecutive rainy seasons due to El Niño. Nearly 40 million people in the region are food insecure, including some 23 million, who require urgent humanitarian assistance. 2.7 million children face severe acute malnutrition. “We have the expertise to help people survive and build up their resilience for future shocks. Donors must realise the urgency and provide organisations with the needed funding so we can provide people with food and other assistance. We cannot wait until yet again pictures of starving children shock the world.”
Humanitarian and UN organisations as well as governments have stepped up their emergency response, worked with communities to prepare over the past months and are preparing for the expected peak of food insecurity from October to March 2017. Whereas El Niño has reached its peak, its negative impacts on food security, livelihoods, health, nutrition, water and sanitation are still growing.
The event in New York will bring together affected states with key humanitarian and development partners to review the humanitarian, economic and social impacts of El Niño. CARE urges all actors involved to draw attention to the links between El Niño and climate change. International donors need to fund strategies to mitigate risks and build resilience for future shocks. Sustained support to help people recover once the current crisis is over and ensure longer term support to break out of the cycle of poverty and food insecurity are urgently needed. “We know that there will be more droughts and floods in the coming month and years. We cannot allow them to unravel achieved development goals and make even more people suffer,” says Naylor-Ngugi.
Media contact:
Johanna Mitscherlich,Currently deployed as Advocacy&Communications Officer, CARE Southern Africa - E-Mail: [email protected]
About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve education, health and economic opportunity.