“I am very pleased that 21 announcements of financial support have been made today,” said UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya.

However, the pledges account only to 61% of the target set for the donors’ conference held on Tuesday by the UN.

According to Msuya, “this is just the beginning and that support will continue and increase throughout the year,” given Ethiopia’s plight due to armed conflict and climate devastation.

“Words of solidarity without financial support are simply empty words,” UK Foreign Office Under-Secretary Andrew Mitchell remarked.

According to UN estimates, some $1 billion would be needed to fund the immediate humanitarian response and guarantee the flow of aid to Ethiopia over the next five months to help some 15.5 million food insecure people.

In total, humanitarian needs for the current year amount to US$ 3.24 billion, estimated the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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