ADDIS ABABA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has warned that Ethiopia continues to face a major humanitarian crisis caused by climate shocks, disease outbreaks and insecurity.
UNOCHA, in its latest situation update on Ethiopia's priority humanitarian response and critical funding gaps, said the compounded humanitarian crisis is further aggravated by economic and financial challenges.
"This makes 2024 an exceptional year in terms of compounded shocks, exacerbating negative humanitarian impacts on already vulnerable communities who have not fully recovered from events of recent years," said the update published Monday.
Amid the difficult humanitarian situation facing the East African country, UNOCHA said, the Ethiopian government, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continue to navigate through the difficult, unpredictable, and complex humanitarian context with limited resources.
UNOCHA called on the international community to provide immediate funding to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation, including in areas newly affected by the El Nino-driven drought.
"By funding these immediate priority needs, donor partners will enable humanitarian partners to rapidly ramp up prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition, healthcare services, food assistance, and keep children in schools, among others," it said. ■