The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is facing a major funding shortfall over the next six months threatening its ability to meet the critical food and nutrition needs of millions of food insecure Ethiopians and refugees.
WFP has a funding gap of US$579 million to delivering life-saving food assistance and livelihood support activities to 12 million people in Ethiopia over the next six months. This includes US$316 million that is urgently needed to deliver emergency food and nutrition assistance to 3.7 million people in northern Ethiopia over the next six months.
The Government of Ethiopia, WFP, and other partners are struggling to alleviate the country’s hunger crisis. The extended combined effects of conflict, drought, flooding, desert locust invasions, market disruptions and high food prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic have left an estimated 13.6 million people food insecure.
“Timely and complete food and nutrition support is critical to alleviating the suffering of millions across Ethiopia. In addition to the severe challenges facing conflict-impacted populations in many regions, we are deeply concerned about climate-related vulnerability and food insecurity in dry lowland areas,” says WFP Representative and Country Director, Dr. Steven Were Omamo.