United Nations leaders, donors governments, and humanitarian organizations plan to meet this Wednesday, 15 February 2012, to discuss continued efforts to address the drought crisis currently afflicting Africa's Sahel region. The meeting will take place in Rome as a continued effort to implement strong aid programs in the volatile region.
The Sahel is a regional belt spanning West and Central Africa immediately south of the Sahara Desert and it includes a number of countries which have been regularly afflicted by food insecurity. Largely the result of poor rain conditions and record heat, the drought has put millions at risk of starvation.
The participants of the meeting met earlier in the year to discuss the issues and challenges facing the region. The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, led much of the discussion stating, "To be able to deal with the challenges in the Sahel region and to have a comprehensive, long- lasting impact, we need to put in place a mechanism that would bring together all the affected countries and major outside actors in a coordinated manner to discuss the issues and devise solutions."
-Kenneth Louis
SOURCE: UN News Centre (Update: UN News Centre)
