At the end of a three-day mission to Madagascar, deputy humanitarian chief Ursula Mueller called for urgent action to avert the consequences of climate change and for increased investment to respond to the country’s most acute humanitarian needs and their root causes.
Ms. Mueller highlighted that climate-related challenges are exacerbating the risks faced by people who are already extremely vulnerable and are compounding humanitarian needs in the country.
“I have seen the humanitarian impact of climate-related challenges, with the poorest and most vulnerable people bearing the brunt,” she said. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense here.”
In the past 20 years, the island nation has been struck by 35 cyclones, 8 floods and 5 periods of severe drought, representing a three-fold increase over the previous 20 years.
The deputy humanitarian chief visited the south of the country, which remains severely underdeveloped and suffers from recurrent droughts. People in the Grand Sud region face persistent food insecurity and high levels of malnutrition, which escalate into a humanitarian crisis each time there is a significant climatic shock.
During her meeting with the Prime Minister, Christian Ntsay and the President Andry Rajoelina, Ms. Mueller commended the Government on its efforts to lead comprehensive development action to end chronic needs in the Grand Sud region.
“The Government, together with international partners, has made progress in addressing the root causes of recurrent humanitarian needs,” she said. “However, more funding is urgently required to meet the humanitarian needs we have been unable to address. Innovative development programming is also crucial to increase resilience and disaster risk reduction, particularly for the most marginalized.”
Original source: UNOCHA
Published on 05 June 2019
