UN Drought Relief Envoy Wraps Up Horn of Africa Tour on Optimistic Note
New York, May 2 2006 4:00PM
The top United Nations relief official for the Horn of Africa wrapped up a five-nation tour of the drought-stricken
region on an optimistic note today, stressing government commitments to make headway on a scourge that has directly
threatened the lives of over 8 million people and placed more than 15 million at risk.
“In Eritrea, the Government opened the door for renewed dialogue with the humanitarian community on issues that look to
the future and with a clear agenda,” Special Humanitarian Envoy for the Horn of Africa Kjell Magne Bondevik said.
“In Djibouti, the government is working towards becoming self-reliant. I urged them to further open up its private
sector and work on more foreign investment potential. Ethiopia and Kenya both emphasized the need for more attention to
development assistance in pastoral areas,” he added.
As to the fifth country on his tour, faction-torn Somalia, which has lacked a functioning central government ever since
the collapse of President Muhammad Siad Barre’s regime 15 years ago, he stressed the importance of making access and
security a priority to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian aid.
“Taking into account the security costs involved in establishing a presence inside Somalia, it is critical that the
donor community provides flexible funding and invests in the operational capacity of NGOs (non-governmental
organizations),” he said.
Mr. Bondevik, a former Norwegian Prime Minister appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN post in February,
made several visits to the field, where he saw first-hand the impact of recurrent drought, especially on pastoralists.
He said he plans to return to the region later this year to assess progress both in the humanitarian response and
long-term development.
In the meantime he will visit donor capitals with the aim of encouraging them to contribute more, especially for the
long-term, to meet critical needs. In early April, the UN launched a regional appeal requesting $443 million but to date
only $95 million has been committed.
“Given the magnitude of livestock losses sustained during this crisis, full recovery will be a long process that will
take years or even decades,” Mr. Bondevik said.
“Governments must also prioritize long-term development solutions that reduce vulnerability to drought,” he added,
calling for “desperately needed” improvements in basic services like food, water, heath facilities, schools, roads and
other infrastructure.
ENDS