STORY: UN warns of worsening humanitarian

crisis in Somalia
TRT: 2:33
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 27/APRIL/2017, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST
1. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for
Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
2. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) THE DEPUTY
HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR SOMALIA, VINCENT LELEI
Five months into 2017, the humanitarian situation continues to
deteriorate at an alarming rate and the risk of famine is still persisting.
This is of immediate concern to all of us, whether it is the Government
of Somalia, the people of Somalia, NGOs, (nongovernmental
organizations) UN (United Nations) and everybody.

3. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for

Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
4. Med shot, journalists covering the press conference
5. Med shot, journalists listening and taking notes during the
press conference
6. Med shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for
Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
7. Wide shot, journalist covering the function
8. Wide shot, journalists covering the press conference
9. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) THE DEPUTY
HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR SOMALIA, VINCENT LELEI
More than half of the population, that is 6.2 million people, continue to
need humanitarian assistance, and already more than 600,000 of these
people have uprooted themselves out of their homes because they
need assistance in terms of food, in terms of water, in terms of health
services.

10. Wide shot, journalists covering the press

conference
11. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) THE DEPUTY
HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR SOMALIA, VINCENT LELEI
More than 1.7 million people have been reached with food security
response activities that have enabled people to access food. These are
particularly in Bakool, Bay, Galgaduud, Hiiiraan, Lower and Middle
Shabelle regions. This number has gone up very quickly from 1.1
million earlier in the year.
12. Med shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
13. Close up shot, The Deputy Humanitarian
Coordinator for Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
14. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
15. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) THE DEPUTY
HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR SOMALIA, VINCENT LELEI
With all these efforts, this crisis continues to be ahead of us, and we
need to continue scaling up these services. We need to be working
together from the government, from the humanitarian agencies, from
the diaspora, the private sector, everybody, all the friends of Somalia.

16. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator

for Somalia, Vincent Lelei addressing journalists
17. Close up shot, The Deputy Humanitarian
Coordinator for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, giving his concluding remarks
and invites questions from the journalists
18. Med shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, giving his concluding remarks and invites
questions from the journalists
19. Med shot, journalist asking a question
20. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, responding to a question
21. Med shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, responding to a question
22. Close up shot, listening as a journalist asks a
question
23. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, responding to a question
24. Med shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, responding to a question
25. Wide shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, responding to a question
26. Med shot, journalist asking a question
27. Med shot, The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia, Vincent Lelei, listening to a question
28. Close up shot, journalist listening to the response
29. Wide shot, journalist packing up their equipment
after the presser
30. Med shot, journalist packing up their equipment
after the presser

END
UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia

Mogadishu, 27 April 2017 Over 1.7 million people have been reached with
food security response activities in Somalia as part of the ongoing effort to
avert a famine in the country and the drought response still needs to be
scaled up to meet the increasing needs, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for Somalia Vincent Lelei told a press briefing in the Somali capital today.

Mr. Lelei noted that the need to provide humanitarian assistance to the
millions of people affected by the drought crisis continues to outpace
response efforts.

Five months into 2017, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate at

an alarming rate and the risk of famine is still persisting. This is of immediate
concern to all of us, whether it is the Government of Somalia, the people of
Somalia, NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), the UN, everybody, he
said.

Earlier this year, the Federal Government of Somalia and UN agencies issued
an appeal for $825 million dollars to fund an operational plan to avert famine
in Somalia during the first six months of 2017. To date, $560 million in
donations have been made available or pledged.

The severity of the current drought has displaced large numbers of people
living in rural areas, and one of every two Somalis faces varying degrees of
food insecurity.

More than half of the population, 6.2 million people, continue to need
humanitarian assistance and already more than 600,000 of these people have
uprooted themselves out of their homes because they need assistance in
terms of food, water and health services, Mr. Lelei noted.

The crisis in the country has been exacerbated by diseases such as acute
watery diarrhea (AWD)/cholera and measles. More than 28,000 AWD/cholera
cases have been reported in 2017, including over 540 related deaths.

More than 5,600 measles cases have been reported nationwide, the outbreak
is spreading quickly and the numbers are expected to increase. Measles is a
big killer during times of drought because many children are malnourished.

Mr. Lelei detailed a series of life-saving interventions that have been

supported by the Federal Government of Somalia, the UN, the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, NGOs, the private sector and Somalis living at home and
abroad.

Nutrition services have reached 332,000 people, including 70,000 children.

He noted that 225 sites have been established for the medical treatment of
children. Nearly eight million livestock animals have also been treated for
effects of the drought as part of an initiative that will encompass 20 million
livestock animals in the next three months. This is a vital aspect of the drought
response effort since large numbers of pastoralists are dependent on their
domesticated animals for their livelihood.

Mr. Lelei stated that most of the more than 1.7 million people who have been
reached with food security response activities thus far are concentrated in the
regions of Bakool, Bay, Galgaduud, Hiiran and Lower and Middle Shabelle.
This number has gone up very quickly from 1.1 million earlier in the year, he
observed.

He called for closer cooperation among the Federal government,

humanitarian agencies, people in the diaspora, the private sector and
development partners.

In its latest drought response report, the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs presents a grim outlook for humanitarian conditions in
the short term.

The projections for the coming six months are not encouraging, with
continued deterioration foreseen for the coming three months till end of June,
and only a slight improvement during the following three months from July
through September, the report says.

The document stated that drought-related displacements are continuing to

rise at an almost exponential rate, with the cities of Baidoa and Mogadishu
receiving the largest number of internally displaced persons.