The African Union Commission and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs co-hosted the official launch of the 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview in Addis Ababa. The event was held at the African Union in the presence of H.E. Ambassador Minata Samate Cessoume, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development; Ms. Lisa Doughten, Director of Finance and Resource Mobilization Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; H.E Adekunle King, Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to Ethiopia, and Chairperson of the PRC Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees and IDPs, H.E Amb. Shiferaw Teklemariam, Commissioner for Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management Commission; and H.E. Ambassador Deike Potzel, Director General of Crisis Prevention at the Stabilization, Peace Building and Humanitarian Assistance Division in the Federal Foreign Office. Video remarks from United Nations Secretary-General H.E Antonio Guterres was also presented.
The Global Humanitarian Overview 2023 (GHO) launched today outlines record levels of humanitarian need with 339 million people in need of life-saving assistance and protection across 68 countries – in other words 1 in 23 people on the planet requires emergency assistance to survive. Some 145 million of these people are in Africa. The Global Humanitarian Overview calls for US$51.5 billion to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable 230 million people worldwide.
The launch of the GHO report follows the successful African Union Extra-Ordinary Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference, which took place on 27 May 2022 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The summit considered the humanitarian challenges caused by health pandemics as is the case of Ebola and COVID-19; climate change and disasters such as drought and famine affecting countries in the horn of Africa region and the Sahel region in unprecedented ways; cyclones, floods, storms and mudslides affecting countries in east and southern part of Africa; effects of terrorist activities in the Sahel region, Lake Chad Basin and parts of Somalia and Mozambique; effects of conflicts, terrorism, political instability and unconstitutional changes of government in Africa; the impact of these crisis on food security and nutrition especially for the most vulnerable groups including forcibly displaced persons; and humanitarian financing especially for protracted humanitarian crisis in Africa and the need to invest in durable solutions including post conflict reconstruction and development. The Humanitarian Summit concluded with the Malabo Declaration where Heads of State expressed their commitment to deal with the root causes of humanitarian crisis in Africa, while searching for durable solutions within the context of peace & security, humanitarian and development nexus.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, at today’s event, H.E. Amb. Minata Samate Cessouma, the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development extended on behalf of H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission warm regards and appreciation to all partners and friends of Africa joining the Launch from across the continent and beyond. “Your unwavering support to the African Union Commission and, the AU Member States in addressing humanitarian challenges has saved millions of lives,” said the Commissioner.
Amb. Minata Samate Cessouma concluded by thanking all AU partners for the support received during the Pledging Conference and commitments made during the Malabo Humanitarian Summit, which expressed the valued partnership and determination to confront the humanitarian challenges in the African continent. “In moving the Malabo vision forward, we are in the process of drafting the 10-year plan of action that will translate the commitments made in Malabo into reality,” said Amb. Minata Samate Cessouma.
The UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, in his video remarks emphasized the need for humanitarian aid and protection to save lives of millions of people worldwide. “2022 has been a year of extremes. Conflict brought misery to millions of people. The climate crisis is causing deadly drought and unprecedented floods, global hunger reached record levels. Donors were generous, giving $24 billion but needs still outpaced spending, leaving a funding gap of 60%. In 2023 we forecast some 339 million people will need humanitarian aid and protection. Funding these life-saving operations is a source of hope for millions of people in desperate need,“ said the UN Secretary General.
Addressing the ceremony Ms. Lisa Doughten, Director of the Finance and Resource Mobilization Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, noted that the need for humanitarian assistance already has a 17% rise from the previous year. “For 2023, that number has surged yet again, bringing the number of people in need to 339 million. This means 1 in every 23 people on the planet needs emergency assistance to survive,” said Ms. Lisa Doughten.
H.E Amb. Shiferaw Teklemariam, Commissioner for Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management Commission, on behalf of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia valued the support of the AU and all partners towards "As I speak to you today, Ethiopia is facing multiple humanitarian challenges. Some of the needs are man-made, while others are the by-products of our collective enemy: climate change. All these challenges, often inter-related, are stretching our response capacity, but we, as the Government of Ethiopia, are doing everything we can to address them". He further noted that "With available resources, and in collaboration with partners, we are scaling up humanitarian support and working tirelessly to restore public services. He have come a long way and we will continue to do more. We count on your continued support and solidarity in our drive to address humanitarian needs, but also recovery and reconstruction,“ said Ambassador Shiferaw Teklemariam.
Note to Editors
The Global Humanitarian Overview is a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of humanitarian needs across the world and how to respond to them. It outlines the humanitarian system’s collective achievements. The GHO 2023 is also an urgent appeal to donors to support the response to displacement, hunger, disease, gender-based violence and economic collapse in crises around the world.
These global needs are driven by conflict, climate shocks and economic decline, which together have uprooted millions of people from their homes, caused loss of lives and livelihoods and driven extreme hunger and malnutrition. The number of people displaced globally reached a record 103 million this year while the number of people facing acute food insecurity has reached 222 million. Starvation is a real risk for 45 million people across 37 countries.
East and Southern Africa is the region with the largest number of people in need, at 76.8 million. In the Horn of Africa, people are currently suffering through the worst drought in 40 years, which has led to five successive failed rainy seasons. The drought has left 28.6 million people in need, as livelihoods are destroyed, water disappears and extreme hunger and malnutrition rises. Millions have migrated in search of water and assistance, often leaving their family members behind as they cannot survive the long trek through the dried lands.
Parts of central, western and southern Africa are also enduring extreme wet weather driven by climate change. The resulting flooding has caused mass displacement, contributed to hunger levels, and damaged health facilities, schools and other infrastructure. In the Central Sahel region, weather shocks come on top of prolonged conflict, which combined have left more than 36 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
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Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate (ICD), African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org
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Ms. Anna Jefferys | Public Information Officer | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | E-mail: jefferysa@un.org
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Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org
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