United Nations, .- The UN requested Tuesday more funds to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people affected in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi by the cyclone Idai that hit this African region on March 14 and 15.
“The three countries need 392 million dollars for the next three months and so far only 46 million have been registered in the Financial Monitoring System,” said the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Amina Mohammed.
Mohammed said that more than 200,000 people have been displaced and that the cholera outbreak has already affected a thousand people and could increase.
Although he praised the efforts made so far, he declared that “the response continues to be insufficient, and we must also ensure,” he added, “that it be extended to rural areas and communities.”
“I call on the Member States (of the United Nations) to overcome this gap,” added the UN Deputy Secretary-General before calling on the international community to take other measures to address this natural catastrophe beyond the immediate attention of the basic needs of the population.
For Mohammed, it is necessary to support reconstruction efforts in the affected countries in the long term and help communities become more resilient in the face of possible new climatic scourges.
“This does not only mean building houses and infrastructure in a different way, it also means investing in improving the predictions of catastrophes and alarm systems that reach the entire population,” he said.
He also urged the states to get involved in the summit for climate action, convened by the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, and scheduled for next September.
“The summit is an unparalleled opportunity for national governments to bring concrete plans for adaptation and mitigation of the climate,” he concluded.
According to official data released on Tuesday, the cyclone caused more than 800 deaths in the three countries, with Mozambique as the main affected with almost 600 deaths. (EFEUSA)
