UN, Ethiopian Refugee Agency Appeal For $68Mln To Cover Food Needs Of Refugees

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and Ethiopia-based ARRA (Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs) on Friday jointly appealed to the world community and partners to help raise additional $68 million to avoid food cuts threatening over 700,000 refugees in Ethiopia

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2021) The UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and Ethiopia-based ARRA (Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs) on Friday jointly appealed to the world community and partners to help raise additional $68 million to avoid food cuts threatening over 700,000 refugees in Ethiopia.

Insufficient funding has resulted in the reduction of a minimum daily WFP food basket for up to 60%, that is, from 1,773 kilocalories - 84% of the recommended volume per person per day - down to 1,262 kilocalories per person. The changes in rations have begun in November and targeted 710,000 out of 800,000 people living in refugee camps in Ethiopia.

"We are appealing to our donors to quickly come to the aid of the refugees, who solely rely on WFP food and cash transfers for survival. Sadly, prolonged ration cuts affect the refugees' nutrition and health. The immediate priority for us all must be to restore assistance to at least minimum levels for refugees, many of whom lost the lifeline of remittances due to the global impact of COVID-19," Dr. Steven Were Omamo, WFP's Country Representative and Country Director for Ethiopia, was quoted as saying in a joint statement.

If the requested sum is not received, WFP will run out of food resources for refugees by early 2022, the statement read.