Publication Date January 31, 2017 | UN News Service Section

As new drought hits Ethiopia, UN urges support for Government's 'remarkable' efforts

Ethiopia
In February 2016, villagers gather at the Ula Arba water point, in Ziway Dugda Woreda, Arsi zone Oromia region, Ethiopia. Photo: Charlotte Cans, OCHA
In February 2016, villagers gather at the Ula Arba water point, in Ziway Dugda Woreda, Arsi zone Oromia region, Ethiopia. Photo: Charlotte Cans, OCHA

Commending the Ethiopian Government and humanitarian partners on the response to last year's El Niño drought that left 10.2 million people needing food assistance, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien today said the international community must show “total solidarity” with country as it faces a new drought.

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[T]he current crisis has not caught the Government and the people of Ethiopia unprepared, even if the magnitude of the crisis clearly is above the capacity of the Horn of Africa country to resolve. “Ethiopia has persistently applied a policy of building resilience in relation to the natural disasters that unfortunately with climate change have come to be more and more frequent and intense,” explained Mr. Guterres.