ADDIS ABABA, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it has faced a "critical" funding shortfall to address the humanitarian needs of refugees in Ethiopia.
The UN refugee agency said in its latest situation update issued late Friday that its operation in Ethiopia has received 64 million U.S. dollars as of the end of May, representing only 15 percent of the requirements.
The UNHCR said the critical funding gap is affecting health service delivery as the UNHCR and its health partners will not be able to ensure continuity of health services for refugees and host communities unless urgent funding is secured.
Noting that medical referrals are already suspended, the UNHCR warned that unless urgent support is made available as soon as possible, close to 1 million refugees and host communities will have no access to essential medicines.
"This is very likely to increase morbidity and exacerbate the already dire nutrition situation in the camps, where one in two children below the age of five years is undernourished," it warned.
It further said "serious underfunding" has severely threatened the provision of education for refugees in Ethiopia.
The UNHCR's education gap analysis warns that unless funding is made available urgently, almost 130,000 refugee students will be out of school before the end of the 2023 academic year.
According to data from the UNHCR, as of May 2023, Ethiopia hosted 916,436 refugees, mainly from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. It said more than 80 percent of the refugees are women and children, including a significant number of minors without parents or caregivers.
