BUILD COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO END DROUGHT EMERGENCIES IN KENYA, URGES UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF

(Nairobi/New York, 1 February 2011): Visiting United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) Valerie Amos says Kenya's humanitarian challenges, mainly brought about by changing weather patterns and rapid urbanization, need long-term mitigation and adaptation measures that build community resilience and preparedness.

Ms. Amos arrived in Nairobi on 31 January 2011 on a three-day mission to Kenya and Somalia. She started the first leg of her mission in Nairobi, where she is meeting senior government officials, representatives of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian and development partners to foster cooperation on durable solutions to Kenya's humanitarian challenges.

Speaking to Special Programmes Minister Hon. Esther Murugi, Ms. Amos, accompanied by UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Kenya Aeneas Chuma, said she is encouraged by the country's focus on investing in long-term programmes that are helping communities deal with climate change induced disasters. "Continued efforts to reduce the humanitarian impact of drought will ensure the sustainable recovery of livelihoods and restore local coping mechanisms to enable populations to deal with the recurring problem of drought," said Ms. Amos.

Referring to current threats of food insecurity because of the failed short rains (October to December), the ERC added that some strategies that will support reducing the effects of severe drought include utilizing the country's irrigable land to provide water in times of drought instead of depending on rain-fed agriculture, supporting the increase of pastoral-livestock production by providing water, establishing disease-free zones, improving breeding services and promoting an efficient marketing system.

Ms. Amos noted that recurring drought has forced communities to migrate to urban areas that are unprepared to receive them. "These migrants end up in slums that have their own problems: congestion, limited service delivery, poor shelter, and lack of or limited water and sanitation facilities," she said.

The humanitarian chief also commended Kenya for efforts to find long-term solutions to internally displaced persons (IDPs). Noting that a majority of IDPs have been settled in the last two years, she encouraged the Government to continue to prioritize the resettlement of IDPs as the country moves towards the 2012 elections.

The ERC later met with the Under-Secretary-Generals for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat to discuss how the United Nations is working with the Kenyan Government on issues of the environment, urbanization and emergency response and preparedness.

While in Kenya, Ms. Amos will focus on immediate and long-term strategies to address drought-induced food insecurity and acknowledge the challenges posed by the refugee influxes into Kenya from neighbouring states and the strain on refugee-hosting communities. She will also draw attention to humanitarian challenges in urban areas, and durable solutions for the remaining post-election violence internally displaced persons. She will hold a press conference on 3 February 2011.

For further information, please call:

OCHA-Kenya: Choice Okoro + 254(0) 732500020, okoroc@un.org; Thandie Mwape +254 (0)728 601 291

mwapet@un.org; OCHA-New York, Stephanie Bunker +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1347 244 2106,

bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org;

OCHA-Geneva, Elisabeth Byrs +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org;

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.