Consolidated UN report prepared by the Information Section of the UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia from information and reports provided by specialised UN agencies, media sources, the Ethiopian Government and NGOs.

Highlights

The Federal Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission revised the figure for drought affected people requiring food assistance to accommodate an increase in beneficiaries due to the 1999 belg failure. The new figure, released in early July 1999, identifies a total of 5.3 million (including 384,858 displaced persons) and places the total food needs from June until the end of the year at 425,144 M/T

In general, the prospect of long-cycle meher crops over most of the country is of concern and the impact of the belg failure on the livestock population has been severe. The most affected areas include South Tigray Zone of Tigray, North Shewa, and North and South Wello Zones of Amhara and Northwest Shewa of Oromiya Regions.

In response to the drought emergency, the UN Country Team released an appeal for assistance for the areas in critical need, outlining actions already undertaken by the UN and additional urgent needs. The UN Country Team Relief Action Plan and Appeal for Severely Drought Affected Areas of Ethiopia, issued on 12 July 1999, identifies special interventions that need to be implemented immediately in order to avert a humanitarian crisis. In addition to highlighting the need for more food aid pledges, the Appeal covers USD 7.5 million in non-food interventions.