WCC NEWS: WCC central committee makes global appeal for response to needs in Ethiopia, Horn of Africa

In a public statement, the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee expressed grave concern for the people of Ethiopia and urged churches and organizations everywhere to answer urgent needs with humanitarian aid. Morning rises in Micha town (Bale Zone, Oromia) in Ethiopia suffering drought. Dust and smoke fills the air, as night fires are dying out, lit by people who sleep on the streets. Photo: Albin Hillert/Life on Earth 17 June 2022 “According to a recent UNICEF humanitarian situation report, an estimated 29.7 million people are in need of assistance in Ethiopia, 12.4 million of them children, and in addition to over 850,000 refugees, there are 4.5 million internally displaced people in the country,” the statement reads. “Shockingly high levels of mortality among malnourished children are being reported.” In addition, Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region are experiencing one of the most severe droughts in the last 40 years following four consecutive failed rainy seasons, the statement notes. “The prolonged drought threatens fragile livelihoods heavily reliant on livestock, and is deepening food insecurity and malnutrition,” reads the message.  The statement expresses solidarity and support to the WCC member churches in Ethiopia, and appeals to all members of the international community “to ensure that humanitarian resources are provided and allocated commensurate with the scale of the emergencies in Ethiopia and all other crisis-affected countries including for people living with disabilities, and that attention is paid to the root causes of such crises, including especially promoting resolution of unresolved conflicts and fulfilling unmet commitments to climate change mitigation and adaptation.” The statement further “calls on all member churches, ecumenical partners and specialized ministries to respond to the needs of the people of Ethiopia and of other humanitarian crisis-affected countries in prayer and in action, including support for dialogue and peacebuilding.” Read the full WCC Statement on the Humanitarian Situation in Ethiopia WCC Central committee meeting, June 2022 Photos from the WCC central committee meeting, June 2022 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland