JOHANNESBURG, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) on Thursday launched the Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee (RIASC) Action Plan which is seeking 1.2 billion U.S. dollars to provide critical aid to 12.3 million people in African countries most affected by drought between now and April 2017.
This is in response to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) which on July 26, 2016 launched a regional drought emergency appeal for 2.4 billion U.S. dollars to the international community.
Speaking at the launch in Johannesburg, Timo Pakkala, UNOCHA El Nino coordinator for Southern Africa, urged the international community to intervene so that they can respond well to the humanitarian needs.
"If we do not get the money there will be a catastrophe. We need money to assist the farmers to prepare for the next season. The time to act is now. The international community should support the RIASC Action Plan and allocate more resources, not only to save lives now, but to also prevent crises of this scale happening again," he said.
So far, only a quarter of the required 1.2 billion U.S. dollar dollars have been received or pledged.
Pakkala noted that around October 2016 when rains are expected, there are signs of La Nina with more rains but a possibility of floods.
"Droughts, like the one caused this year by El Niño, are becoming more frequent and more severe, and the trend can be expected to continue if necessary action isn't taken swiftly. We want to break the cycle of drought in Southern Africa. We want to use our multi-sectoral approach to address education, water, sanitation, heath, among others. The affected communities are in a critical situation," he said.
Different UN agencies will work with different NGOs like Oxfam and WHO, among others, to provide different interventions in different countries. The action plan will target the most affected countries which are Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Swaziland.
Dirk-Jan Omtzigt from UNOCHA's Nairobi Office said that from about October last year over 600,000 livestock have been lost and the situation is worsening in the region.
The region also has a cereal production shortfall, Omtzigt said.
"There must be diversification in the region. Lifting of trade barriers is imperative for the private sector to also come in and assist in the provision of food and ensure they are available where they are urgently required. We have to prioritize and fund those countries mostly in need," he said.
Governments are doing what they can but they are lacking capacity to respond to the needs, he said, adding the devaluation of currencies in the region have also made it expensive to import food.
