SOMALIA: THREATS TO AID AGENCIES HAMPERING UNICEF’S LIFE-SAVING ACTIVITIES

Hostility towards relief organizations has caused the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to postpone the distribution of life-saving supplies to prevent and treat acute malnutrition in over 85,000 children in central and south Somalia, the agency announced today.

Also disrupted was the delivery of insecticide-treated bed nets for more than 100,000 women and children, according to a news release from the agency.

"We need concrete assurances from local authorities for the safe delivery and storage of supplies to ensure that we can carry out programmes for the survival of Somali women and children," said Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF's representative in the country.

"We hope these assurances will be forthcoming very soon so that we can continue our operations at a level that matches the needs of children and women and prevent the deaths that will otherwise certainly occur," she added.

Yesterday, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, welcomed the release of four aid workers and two pilots who were abducted nine months ago and called for the freeing of remaining hostages.

"It is with great satisfaction that I received the news concerning the release of the six hostages who had been held for so long, and taken into captivity while working in Somalia," he said.

The four aid workers, who were serving with the French non-governmental organization (NGO) Action Against Hunger, and two pilots were abducted last November from an airstrip in the central Somali town of Dusamareb.

UNICEF noted today that its compound in Jowhar, central Somalia, which serves as the main hub for operations in the area, was taken over in May, with large amounts of urgently-needed humanitarian supplies and communications equipment either destroyed or taken.

Reports indicate that UNICEF emergency aid stored in a partner agency's warehouse in Jammame was taken earlier this month.

UNICEF provides vaccines and drugs in central Somalia, targeting 1.2 million children under five years of age, as well as 1.4 million women.

The UN has repeatedly called on all parties in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, who are tending to the needs of some 3 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, made vulnerable by the combined effects of conflict, drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency.
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UN SEEKS $1.5 MILLION TO TACKLE RISING MALNUTRITION AMONG CENTRAL AFRICAN CHILDREN

Malnutrition is on the rise among children in the Central African Republic (CAR), the United Nation Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) warned today, appealing for $1.5 million to provide life-saving support.

CAR is one of the most impoverished nations in the world and remains beset by violence and widespread displacement in the north. An estimated 1 million people, out of a population of 4 million, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

"In both the conflict-affected north and the more stable south, almost 700,000 children under five are living below acceptable standards. Many are moving toward the outer edge of survival," said Jeremy Hopkins, acting representative of UNICEF in CAR.

Poverty, ongoing insecurity, and loss of income in areas where the diamond mining sector has been impacted by the global economic slowdown are among the causes cited for this situation.

Also a factor is the prevalence of HIV in the country, which at 6.3 per cent is the highest in its region and affects the nutritional situation of families.

In addition to providing essential food, drugs and supplies, funds from the $1.5 million appeal will also be used to conduct a national nutritional survey, as well as train community health workers in the early detection of children and women whose nutritional health may be at risk.

"These children's lives, their ability to learn, to earn, and to lead productive lives is being stunted by this tragic crisis," said Mr. Hopkins. "These children could be leading normal lives. We must try harder to fulfil their rights."

Yesterday a senior UN humanitarian official called for urgent action by the international community to assist those in need in CAR.

"It's not like any other humanitarian situation I've run across," Catherine Bragg, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said as she briefed reporters on her visit to the country two weeks ago.

UNICEF UNVEILS NEARLY $2 MILLION SCHEME TO FIGHT MALNUTRITION IN NIGERIA

The head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today pledged nearly $2 million to shore up nutrition in Nigeria to stem child mortality in the African nation.

The $1.85 million scheme, which will augment <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_50504.html">UNICEF nutrition programmes already in place, will support community-based feeding stations where families can bring children to receive preventative and curative assistance.

"Lack of essential health services, malnutrition, inadequate access to clean water and basic sanitation contribute to high rates of child mortality," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman in the Nigerian city of Abuja, launching the project.

"Through close cooperation among the Government of Nigeria and religious and traditional leaders, there is hope," added Ms. Veneman, who recently wrapped up a visit to the northern states of Kebbi and Sokoto.

In Kebbi, she took part in the launch on 31 July of Nigeria's first-ever National Child Health Week, during which some 30 million youngsters were expected to be immunized against preventable diseases such as polio, which is contracted through contaminated food, water and faeces and mainly affects children under the age of five. Nigeria is one of only four polio-endemic countries in the world and the only endemic country in Africa.

During her four-day visit to Nigeria, one of only four polio-endemic countries in the world and the only endemic country in Africa, she also announced UNICEF's allocation of more than $5 million to efforts to eradicate the disease.

Insecticide-treated bednets are also being handed out to curb the spread of malaria, the number one killer of under-five children in Nigeria.

"Knowledge is key," Ms. Veneman stressed, underscoring that if communities understand the importance of basic hygiene, "child deaths can be reduced and girls and boys can be given a healthier start in life."

National Child Health Weeks will be held twice a year in Nigeria – Africa's most populous country with nearly 150 million people, most of whom live in poverty – in close cooperation with the Government.

UN FOOD AGENCY WARNS G8 MINISTERS OF UNPARALLELED HUNGER CRISIS AS FUNDING FALLS

UN FOOD AGENCY WARNS G8 MINISTERS OF UNPARALLELED HUNGER CRISIS AS FUNDING FALLS
New York, Jun 12 2009 10:00AM
The head of the United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) today warned that the poor and hungry around the world are facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, while global food aid has hit a 20 year low.

WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, urged development ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations meeting in Italy today to support the agency – which depends entirely on voluntary donations – in its efforts to help some of the world's hungriest survive.

"With one in six people going hungry, one child dying every six seconds, and 80 per cent of Sub-Saharan African countries facing higher food prices than a year ago, the poor and the hungry are facing one of the biggest crises in our lifetimes," said Ms. Sheeran.

Underscoring the permanent impact that hunger has on children, she said that the world risks losing a generation unless they have adequate access to nutrition during this crisis.

She added that hunger can also lead to dangerous destabilization, and impact global peace and security, saying that "without food people revolt, migrate, or die."

"None of these are acceptable options," she said.

In a message directed at the G8 meeting, Ms. Sheeran said that at "this moment of
dramatically growing need, it would be wrong to cut our funding."

On top of the mounting humanitarian crisis, WFP said earlier this week that it is suffering a funding shortfall of almost $450 million needed for the next six months to continue feeding the hungry in the Horn of Africa region where it is aiding some 17 million hungry people and numbers are expected to rise.
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2 MILLION CHILDREN WASTING IN BANGLADESH, UN WARNS

Two million children are suffering from acute malnutrition in Bangladesh, where one-quarter of all households are hungry, according to a United Nations-backed study released today.

The report -- by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Institute of Public Nutrition (IPHN) -- illustrates the clear link between malnutrition and food insecurity, with hungry households having a higher percentages of wasting children.

The survey was carried out during a harvest season from November 2008 to January 2009, and it cautioned that malnutrition levels are expected to be even higher during food scarcity periods.

Out of the two million wasting children between the ages of six months and five years, 500,000 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, or severe malnutrition, according to the report, which was conducted to assess the impact of soaring food prices in Bangladesh
in 2008.

Nearly 60 per cent of the households surveyed said they had insufficient food over the past 12 months, with real household income plunging 12 per cent between 2005 and 2008. At the end of last year, nearly two-thirds of income was spent on food, 10 per cent higher than the 2005 average. Many are in debt, coping with higher food prices, the survey said.

"Even if the prices of food are now falling, the crisis is far from being over," said John Aylieff, WFP Representative in Bangladesh, warning of the impact that the current global financial crisis will have on the poor.

Nearly half of the children surveyed have stunted growth, representing a very high prevalence of chronic of malnutrition in South Asia, while over one third of them are also underweight, the report noted.

"The situation of child malnutrition in this country is a silent emergency," said UNICEF Representative Carel de Rooy.

Malnutrition, which can directly cause death, affects child development and incr
eases the risk of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth, he added. "In fact, it impacts on the society at large, affecting school performance, healthcare costs and productivity."

Mr. de Rooy warned that unless the current malnutrition level is addressed, Bangladesh, which has a population of over 150 million according to the UN, is unlikely to achieve and sustain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the eight ambitious anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

Almost half of all children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years -- a critical age for development -- were found to be not receiving the minimum meal frequency, with two-thirds of them not meeting the minimum dietary diversity of at least four food groups daily.

Further exacerbating the nutritional situation are poor infant and young child feeding practices, noted the survey, which said that half of mothers exclusively breastfeed children under six months. Although nearly 90 per cent of mothers continue to breastfeed their children to the recommended age of two years, complementary foods are introduced inappropriately and with insufficient dietary diversity.

The report called for expanded efforts to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life and for education for families on how the best feeding practices. Additionally, routine food security and nutrition surveillance should be strengthened for early detection of fluctuations in nutrition, health and food security status.

It recommends that routine food security and nutrition surveillance be strengthened to allow early detection of changes in nutrition, health, and food security status. Such surveillance systems should be integrated into government structures.

Although Bangladesh has effective social safety nets in place, the new study suggested that they be widened and targeted towards areas where malnutrition and household food insecurity are most frequent.
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HEALTH HAZARDS DEMAND STRONGER CLIMATE CHANGE MEASURES, ARGUES UN AGENCY

HEALTH HAZARDS DEMAND STRONGER CLIMATE CHANGE MEASURES, ARGUES UN AGENCY
New York, Mar 11 2009 3:00PM

Policymakers should consider the threat climate change poses to public health in setting their priorities for action and investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the United Nations health agency told a conference in Copenhagen.

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the health dimension of the issue at the three-day Climate Change Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions conference, which ends tomorrow.

Based on research, WHO estimates that around 150,000 deaths now occur in low-income countries each year, with young children making up almost 85 per cent of these excess deaths, due to the effect climate change has on crop failure and malnutrition, diarrhoeal disease, malaria and flooding.

Health hazards from climate change are diverse, global and difficult to reverse, according to WHO. They range from increased risk to safety from extreme weather events, to the effects of global warming on infectious disease and sea level rises leading to salinization of land and water sources.

The agency contends that feasible improvements to the environment could reduce the burden on global disease, a large part of which is caused by energy consumption and transport systems, by more than 25 per cent.

Outdoor air pollution accounts for 800,000 deaths annually around the world, traffic accidents for 1.2 million, physical inactivity for 1.9 million and indoor air pollution for 1.5 million, noted a press release issued by WHO.

"Whether it's the 70,000 excess deaths from the heat wave in Europe in 2003, or new malarial deaths in the central African highlands, the people at greatest risk for climate-related health disorders and premature deaths are the poor, the geographically vulnerable, the very young, women and the elderly," WHO said.

The populations WHO considered to be at greatest risk are those living in small island developing States, mountainous regions, areas with poor access to water, huge cities and coastal areas in developing countries, as well as poor people and those lacking access to health services.
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URGENT FUNDING NEEDED TO AVERT WORSENING MALNUTRITION, DISEASE IN SOMALIA

URGENT FUNDING NEEDED TO AVERT WORSENING MALNUTRITION, DISEASE IN SOMALIA
New York, Feb 25 2009 7:00PM

Without an immediate infusion of funding, the already grave malnutrition and disease levels in Somalia will worsen, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cautioned today.

In an alert to donors, the Office highlighted the need for assistance for emergency nutrition as well as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes in two regions in north and central Somalia.

The nutrition situation is critical in Gedo and Central regions, and has been exacerbated by limited funding and a water shortage.

Both areas have reached Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates above the 15 per cent emergency threshold, topping 20 per cent in some parts.

OCHA warned that more people could become vulnerable to water-borne diseases, which are responsible for 20 per cent of deaths among children under the age of five in the Horn of Africa nation. More than one-quarter of the over 200,000 acutely malnourished children are in need of immediate treatment to survive.

Over $20 million is required for nutrition needs for the next four months, while $6 million is needed for WASH needs, including improving emergency water and sanitation services.

Last month, a UN analysis found that more than three million people in Somalia, a third or more of the total population, will remain dependent on humanitarian assistance this year.

The country, which has been riven by factional fighting and has not had a functioning central government since 1991, witnessed several encouraging developments over the past month, including the election of the country's new President and the creation of an enlarged Parliament.
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