UNITED NATIONS, Feb 2 (NNN-XINHUA) — The UN team in Burundi is working with authorities and partners to combat the devastating effects of climate change, said a UN spokesman.
Around 90 percent of Burundi’s 75,000 internally displaced people are on the move due to climate-induced disasters, and over half of them are women, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme are combating chronic malnutrition, promoting agricultural diversification and raising climate awareness. Last year, they helped more than 42,000 small-scale local producers transform their food systems, establishing 1,000 farmer field schools to support communities with improved agricultural and livestock practices. They also rehabilitated 750 climate-damaged education centers and provided a safe space for 43,000 children in the most affected areas, said Haq.
UN Women provided dignity kits to over 1,200 women and girls and health care support to 14,000 internally displaced people last year, including free medical consultations and distribution of medicines, he said.
The International Organization for Migration provided shelter and other items to over 40,000 people, while also implementing a program to mitigate disaster risks, he added. “Following a national needs assessment, our team and partners developed nearly 100 local contingency plans to strengthen community resilience.” — NNN-XINHUA
