26 January 2016: UN agencies called for substantial humanitarian financing as the Syrian crisis and exodus of migrants into Europe continue, and severe drought conditions threaten the food supply of 10.2 million people in Ethiopia.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on 26 January 2016 that only one-third of the US$1.2 billion currently needed for Ethiopia has been provided, and warned against a “slow-onset disaster” in the Horn of Africa. According to OCHA, the current impacts of the El Niño phenomenon are the strongest ever recorded, reducing crop yields by 50-90%. Relief activities have already begun, with the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering food aid to two million people, working from the Port of Berbera in Somaliland as a base.

Also on 26 January, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced a US$2.8 billion appeal to reach 43 million children in humanitarian emergencies worldwide. One-quarter of this amount is to provide access to education for children in crises, more than half of them Syrian. UNICEF warned that extreme weather, as well as the ongoing conflict in Syria, has placed millions of people at risk of hunger, violence, disease and abuse. The Fund noted climate change as a growing threat, placing over half a billion children at risk of flood and drought-induced problems.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and partners meanwhile called for US$550 million to address the impacts of the continuing crisis in Syria. Europe received more than one million refugees and migrants in 2015, of whom half were Syrians, 20% Afghans, and 7% Iraqis. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and around 65 other organizations are partnering with UNHCR to provide coordinated services, including registration, shelter, water and sanitation, relocation and resettlement, as well as support for coast guard, police and other frontline responders in Greece and other receiving countries. The joint appeal is to fund a regional Refugee and Migration Response Plan prepared by UNHCR and partners – 67 humanitarian organizations in all – providing the framework for inter-agency cooperation and response to the arrival and movement of refugees and migrants in Europe via the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans routes.

The UN reported a record number of 60 million displaced persons worldwide in 2015. At a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, before UN-supported intra-Syrian talks were to take place on 29 January, UN agency representatives highlighted features of the conflict and called for a political solution to end the crisis.

At the press briefing before the talks, John Ging, Operations Director, OCHA, looked forward to a political solution for the Syrian conflict. Yaacoub El Hillo, UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, noted that 85 humanitarian workers have lost their lives while carrying out relief work in Syria, and called on all concerned to cease attacks on schools, hospitals and vaccination exercises. UNICEF representative Hanna Singer drew attention to the impact of war on children’s education, noting that two million children are out of school, and warning that they could become a lost generation. WHO representative Elisabeth Hoff called for health workers to have access to the victims of conflict. She warned that medical supplies in Syria are running short, 60% of public hospitals have been destroyed, and the lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities is creating a high risk of infectious disease among the displaced populations.

For the intra-Syrian talks, Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria, has invited parties involved in the conflict to meet with him on 29 January 2016 to discuss four main topics: a political process toward drafting a new constitution and holding elections; ceasefire; nationwide humanitarian access; and combating terrorism. [UN Press Release on Ethiopia] [UN Press Release on UNICEF Appeal] [UN Press Release on UNHCR Appeal] [UN Press Release on Syria Briefing] [UN Office at Geneva Webpage on Intra-Syrian Talks] [IISD RS Story on the Predicted Increased Health Impacts of El Niño]