Online Reporter
The United Nations has received just one-fifth of the US$202 million requested to prepare for food crises caused by El Niño in 22 high-risk countries, a top official told AFP on Friday.
The natural El Niño warming phenomenon, due to peak between October and December, is on course to be the strongest on record, amplifying the effects of human-induced climate change.
The expected droughts and flooding are likely to hit hardest in many countries already struggling with severe food insecurity.
More than half of the 22 highest-risk countries are in Africa, but others are spread across Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The UN said last week that millions of people in Somalia alone already face high levels of hunger, with acute malnutrition among children set to worsen as El Niño hits.
But they have received only around US$40 million, Rein Paulsen, director of emergencies and resilience at FAO, told AFP in Nairobi.
It was all the more regrettable, he said, since the sum is low by international standards.
Scientific projections on Wednesday forecast that the current El Niño event could lead to an additional 451 000 deaths worldwide by February as temperatures soar.
In August, the Norwegian Refugee Council said six million people in Somalia are facing crisis levels of hunger, with more than 700 000 displaced this year — 500 000 by drought alone. — AFP
