Special Humanitarian Envoy for Horn of Africa on mission to Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya

AFR/1367, IHA/1188
(New York: 24 April 2006): United Nations Special Humanitarian Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Kjell Magne Bondevik, is to undertake a five-nation mission to the Horn of Africa.

From 25 April to 2 May 2006, the Special Humanitarian Envoy will visit the drought-affected countries of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. In each country, Mr. Bondevik will meet with Government officials and representatives of the United Nations agencies, other international organizations and non-governmental organizations working in the humanitarian and development sectors, as well as representatives of donor countries. Mr. Bondevik is also expected to travel to drought-stricken areas in several countries in order to assess the situation first-hand.

The Special Humanitarian Envoy is scheduled to brief national and international press several times during his mission, including in Asmara, Eritrea, Djibouti City, Djibouti, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Nairobi, Kenya. For information on specific times and locations of each briefing, please contact the below-listed public information officer for the relevant country.

The situation of poverty-stricken and conflict-affected people living in parts of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has been a cause of particular concern in 2006. Several years of successive rainfall failures and the concomitant rapid erosion of assets and livelihoods have left them to suffer from water shortages and declining access to food. These predominately pastoral and agro-pastoral communities are being forced to travel vast distances to find grazing for their animals. Meanwhile, reduced agricultural production has led to a dramatic increase in the price of food commodities, particularly of cereals. Without assistance many people face malnutrition, significantly increased risk of disease, loss of livelihoods and even death.

As part of the response to the recurrent drought and chronic food insecurity devastating the Horn of Africa region, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik as Special Humanitarian Envoy for the Horn of Africa on 3 February 2006. The United Nations has also launched a regional appeal for the Horn of Africa, which requests $426 million to support the urgent needs of more than eight million people.

For information media - not an official record