Saturday, December 11, 2010
"The humanitarian situation in Somalia is a chronic catastrophe, " Bowden said at a press conference.
This year the UN launched an appeal for 530 million U.S. dollars to address the most urgent humanitarian needs. "This is a very realistic appeal," Bowden said, and noted that it is not based on the total needs of the country but more on what can be delivered by humanitarian agencies which addresses the most pressing needs of the country.
Bowden said he hoped that there will be "an effective response to the appeal this year," and that the "chronic environment" humanitarian organizations are working in is recognized.
Despite difficulties of conflict in Somalia, there is still considerable access for humanitarian activities across the country as a whole in the areas of need, Bowden noted.
"Access across most of the country is still possible and active work is being undertaken by a large variety of humanitarian organizations under difficult conditions," Bowden said, and noted that it has been recognized that the conditions under which humanitarian organizations work in Somalia are "perhaps the most difficult worldwide."
Somalia has been in crisis for some twenty years and is currently threatened by acute drought conditions.
The country has two million people of which 27 percent are in crisis. The eastern African country has some of the worst humanitarian conditions that exist, housing 0.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs), and has the world's largest displaced population.
Source: Xinhua