MEDIA ADVISORY

JOHANNESBURG – Voicing their extreme concern about the dire humanitarian and food security situation in northern Mozambique, brought on by escalating violence and displacement of more than 565,000 people from Cabo Delgado, United Nations Regional Directors for East and Southern Africa will address the media on 20 January at a virtual conference.

The Regional Directors recently concluded a joint mission to assess the plight of displaced people and host communities in conflict-affected Cabo Delgado province. The mission met with internally displaced people who have been victims of attacks, continue facing insecurity and have lost everything – including their agricultural land, livelihoods and homes. With limited supplies reaching markets, the cost of food and household items has skyrocketed. As displacement numbers increase daily, the lack of security, adequate food, water, sanitation, shelter, health, protection and education is exacerbating an already dire situation.

Date: 20 January 2021

Time: 10:00 hours SAST

Join via Zoom here.

Agenda

• Welcome by Masimba Tafirenyika, Director, United Nations Information Centre, Pretoria
• Opening remarks by Myrta Kaulard, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mozambique

  Remarks:

• Patrice Talla Takoukam, Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa (SFS) and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe
• Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Director of IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division
• Charles Allan Kwenin, Regional Director for Southern Africa of International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• Alessandra Casazza, Programme Advisor for the MDGs/SDGs at the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA)
• Dr. Julitta Onabanjo, Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• Valentin Tapsoba, Director for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Bureau for Southern Africa
• Lola Castro, World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director, Southern Africa and Indian Ocean States
• Question and answers from the media

We can take questions in French, Portuguese and English.

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For more information please contact:

Deborah Nguyen, WFP/Johannesburg, deborah.nguyen@wfp.org, +27 82 6790915

Hélène Caux, UNHCR /Pretoria, caux@unhcr.org, +27 82 376 5190

Francesca Fontanini, UNHCR/Maputo, fontanin@unhcr.org, +84 312 0930

David Paqui, IFAD, dpaqui@ifad.org

Lindsay Barnes, UNFPA, barnes@unfpa.org, +27 83 2773257

Steven Lazaro, FAO, steven.lazaro@fao.org