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Latest Appeals / 13 Jun 2022

Ethiopia: Tigray: Urgent call for assistance
FAO – 7 Jun 2022

Urgent funds needed to purchase essential fertilizer before planting season begins

Tigray’s Meher season is just 4 to 6 weeks away (June/July 2022). With the rainfall outlook favourable (normal to above-normal), the season offers a critical and cost-effective opportunity to improve food availability across the region.

However, limited access to agricultural inputs (particularly fertilizers, but...Read more

Somalia: Regional call to action - Horn of Africa drought crisis: climate change is here now, May 2022
UNICEF – 6 Jun 2022

Key messages

UNICEF is appealing for US$ 847 million to provide urgent life-saving and climate resilience support to 4.2 million people, half of them children, in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Right now, 2 million children across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition.

This is a humanitarian catastrophe. Children in the Horn of Africa...Read more

Sri Lanka: Humanitarian Action for Children 2022 - Sri Lanka
UNICEF – 10 Jun 2022

HIGHLIGHTS

Children are disproportionately affected by the rapidly unfolding economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Rising food and fuel prices, along with frequent power cuts, shortages of life-saving medicine, are particularly impacting the poorest and most marginalized.

More than 5.7 million people, including 2.3 million children, require humanitarian assistance. Sri Lanka is among the top ten countries...Read more

Sri Lanka Food Security Crisis - Humanitarian Needs and Priorities 2022 (June – Sept 2022) [EN/SI/TA]
OCHA – 9 Jun 2022

Sri Lanka is experiencing a multidimensional crisis, compounded by food insecurity, threatened livelihoods, shortage of essential medical items and rising protection concerns.

The significant reduction in agricultural production in Sri Lanka, compounded by the rising prices of fuel and basic food items, have made food unaffordable for a segment of the population, and the government has forecasted...Read more

Sri Lanka | Complex Emergency - Emergency Appeal №: MDRLK014
IFRC – 7 Jun 2022

SITUATION OVERVIEW

An economic crisis and a ban on synthetic fertiliser in Sri Lanka, which has been developing since March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has sparked civil unrest and food insecurity. The pandemic, with all its containment measures, resulted in the rapid decline in foreign currency income primarily through Sri Lanka’s adversely impacted tourism sector, worker and diaspora...Read more
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Venezuela: Situation report, March-April 2022 (as of March 13, 2022)

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • In 2022, until April 30, the humanitarian response reached 942,000 people with some type of assistance in all the states of Venezuela.
  • Since mid-April, heavy rains have affected 16 states and 61 municipalities, mainly in the south of the state of Zulia, the Andean zone and the western plains.
  • On May 15, the passport stamping service was reopened for Venezuelans entering and leaving the country in El Amparo (Apure) and at the Simón Bolívar international bridge (Táchira).
  • The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator visited the state of Apure where he agreed to establish technical coordination tables with authorities and learned about the needs in border areas.
  • WFP is expanding its school meal delivery coverage to the states of Anzoátegui, Monagas, Delta Amacuro and Sucre between May and June.

ANALYSIS

Situation Overview

As of June 13, 524,291 cases of COVID-19 were reported, including 517,421 recovered people and 5,724 deaths. In recent weeks, the incidence rate has continued to decline, as well as the number of deaths. This decrease does not imply that it is not necessary to maintain epidemiological surveillance and continue supporting the health sector to control cases of COVID-19 and other seasonal diseases such as the flu.

Since mid-April there have been heavy rains that have affected 16 states and 61 municipalities, mainly the south of the state of Zulia, the Andean zone and the western plains. According to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMEH), 75 tropical waves are forecast for this year. So far the media have reported four deaths: two in Mérida, one in Portuguesa and one in Zulia. Regarding material damage, there have been landslides that blocked the roads, structural damage to bridges, damage to the river containment dams in Zulia (Sur del Lago) and Mérida, damage to some homes and floods in urban and rural areas with agricultural production. , with the loss of some products and livestock.

Given this situation, on April 26, the Government approved a special fund for emergency care due to the rains with an initial amount of US$2.2 million. On the part of the United Nations agencies and some international and national NGOs, the response is being complemented through the delivery of hygiene kits and drinking water tablets, support in access to safe water, food kits and nutrition care, mapping of protection services and risk reduction activities. The United Nations System (SNU) continues to monitor the situation in coordination with Civil Protection and other State institutions to support the development of contingency plans, strengthen emergency response capacities and contribute to the response where there have been greater damages.

Regarding the provision of basic services, the Government announced the launch of the 1×10 system of Good Government, which aims to guarantee compliance with its social and economic programs. Through this reporting mechanism (Sistema Patria or VenApp), citizens will be able to report deficiencies in the water service, electricity or problems in hospitals, outpatient clinics or any other public service.

Several NGOs have expressed their concern, through a statement, about the draft International Cooperation Law after it was debated in the Foreign Policy Commission of the National Assembly in May. The statement states that, through new regulatory mechanisms, the Law could limit civic space and the work of civil society. For its part, the UNS has held several meetings with the National Assembly in which it has been indicated that this bill is not on the legislative agenda for 2022 and when a draft is ready, it would go through a consultation process.

During the last week of May, the UNS Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/CH), Gianluca Rampolla, visited the states of Apure and Barinas. After meetings with the Government of Apure, it was agreed that technical coordination tables would be established with United Nations agencies and NGOs. These tables, which aim to improve the mechanisms of articulation and coordination with local and regional authorities, would be added to those already established in Amazonas, Miranda, Táchira and Zulia. In Bolívar and Delta Amacuro, the areas of interest have already been identified, together with the authorities, and the formal establishment of the roundtables is underway. During the visit, the issue of flood prevention was also discussed with the mayor of the Páez Municipality. The CR/CH visited the parish of La Victoria, including areas affected by fighting, to listen to the communities and learn first-hand about their needs and the type of support they require. In Barinas, some priorities were discussed with the Government, especially in terms of health and education, and the warehouse of the World Food Program (WFP), an agency that is implementing a school feeding program in this state, was visited.

On May 15, the passport stamping service for Venezuelans entering and leaving the country was reopened in El Amparo, Páez municipality, Apure state, and at the Simón Bolívar international bridge, Bolívar municipality, in Táchira state. Regarding mobility trends, the mixed flow continues and in 2022 an increase in the number of people returning to Venezuela is being observed in relation to the second half of 2021. Most of the people who decide to return do so due to family reunification or due to lack of access to income or services in the host country.

At an economic level, the Global Economic Outlook report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that Venezuela's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow by 1.5 percent in both 2022 and 2023, while ECLAC forecasts that the increase It will be 5 percent. On the other hand, Credit Suisse's forecast is higher and forecasts an expansion of up to 20 percent of the Venezuelan economy in 2022, although it will depend on the ability to increase oil production and the relaxation of sanctions.

In May and June, the United States announced that it intended to relax some of the economic sanctions on Venezuela in order to favor the resumption of negotiations between the government and the opposition. The relaxation will authorize Chevron Corp. to negotiate its license with the Venezuelan state oil company and the Spanish company Repsol and the Italian Eni will start sending crude oil to Europe from July. With this announcement, it is expected that the exchanges of oil for debt and compensation for investments, which were suspended two years ago, will resume.

In response, both the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, and the head of the Unitarian Platform (opposition), Gerardo Blyde, met to seek formulas that would allow the reactivation of the negotiations. Emphasis was placed on prioritizing social issues in the negotiations.

On May 16, the appointment of Carlos Faria, previously Venezuela's ambassador to Russia, as the new People's Power Minister for Foreign Affairs was announced. Faria replaces Félix Plasencia, who has been in office since August 21, 2021.

Disclaimer

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.


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