UNITED NATIONS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - United Nations aid chief
Mark Lowcock said on Tuesday he would use $100 million from the
world body's emergency fund to help seven countries try to avert
famine fueled by conflict, spiraling economies, climate change
and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some $30 million will be spent in Yemen, $15 million each in
Afghanistan and northeast Nigeria, $7 million each in South
Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo and $6 million in
Burkina Faso. Lowcock said $20 million had also been set aside
in anticipation of a worsening situation in Ethiopia.
"The prospect of a return to a world in which famines are
commonplace would be heart wrenching and obscene in a world
where there is more than enough food for everyone. Famines
result in agonizing and humiliating deaths," Lowcock said.
"Their impact on a country is devastating and long lasting,"
he said in a statement.
Nearly $500 million has been paid into the U.N. Central
Emergency Response Fund in 2020. It is used to enable the world
body to respond quickly to new humanitarian crises or
underfunded emergencies without having to wait for earmarked
donations.