The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy for Horn of Africa Ambassador Mohammad Abadi Affey said that his two-day visit to Kuwait focused on dealing with the humanitarian situation in the drought-hit Horn of Africa region.
In a press conference at the conclusion of his visit on Thursday, the UN official said that he had briefed officials in Kuwait on the growing humanitarian needs of the people in this region and means for supporting the UNHCR’s response to this delicate situation through programs and projects to be carried out in collaboration with donor countries and private sector.
Affey noted that he held several meetings with Kuwaiti government agencies and UNHCR’s partners from the private sector, during which they explored ways to support the UN agency’s efforts.
He indicated that the visit also included meetings with a number of officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, a number of representatives of Kuwaiti charities and humanitarian organizations, as well as representatives of major donor countries for the Horn of Africa from the diplomatic corps in Kuwait.
The Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in more than four decades, with catastrophic consequences, according to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Communities in the Horn of Africa are facing the immediate threat of starvation, with forecasts indicating that the October-December 2022 rainy season is likely to underperform, marking the fifth consecutive failed season in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Across the Horn of Africa, at least 36.1 million people will be affected by severe drought in October 2022, including 24.1 million in Ethiopia, 7.8 million in Somalia and 4.2 million in Kenya.
