This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Horn of Africa hunger crisis: Germany steps up with $20 million donation

With up to 14 million people on the brink of starvation in the Horn of Africa, the UN on Thursday hailed a $20 million donation from Germany to save lives and livelihoods.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – which warned that an extended multi-season drought has caused crops to wither and animals to weaken – said that the situation could worsen further if more aid is not forthcoming.

In total, the UN agency’s Horn of Africa Drought Response Plan requires more than $138 million.

This will be used to help rural communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia by providing access to food and other basic goods and services, including water for animals and irrigation, veterinary services and education.

Communities will also receive assistance to protect and restore their livelihoods and to improve self-reliance against drought.

Child sex abuse in Madagascar ‘widespread and tolerated’

In Madagascar, child sex abuse is “widespread and tolerated” in tourist hotspots, UN-appointed rights experts said on Thursday.

In a call to the authorities to take action to protect youngsters from child prostitution and other violations, the UN Committee on the Rights of the

Child heard that the majority of children who had sex for money, do so to survive.

To combat this, the Geneva-based panel urged Madagascar’s government to strengthen multilateral, regional and bilateral accords, to prevent sex tourism. 

Its recommendations followed a scheduled rights review of the Indian Ocean island nation, which in 2004 committed to eradicating all forms of violence against children – including sexual abuse and exploitation.

During exchanges with the Malagasy authorities and civil society in Geneva, the UN panel noted the extreme vulnerability of communities affected by recurring drought and chronic shortages of water and food, particularly in southern areas.

Linked to this, rates of acute malnutrition among children have worsened “exponentially” in Madagascar, said the UN-appointed independent panel, which oversees how Member States implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In its submission to the panel, the civil society group ECPAT International, explained that child prostitution “has become trivialized in Madagascar and is conducted openly in bars, nightclubs, massage salons and hotel establishments”.

It said that while more than 250,000 tourists visited Madagascar according to latest data from 2017, the majority of abusers were citizens of the island nation, with most affected areas being the capital and coastal towns.

Rights expert Adama Dieng to visit Sudan, following delay

To Sudan now, where it’s been confirmed that the delayed official visit by top UN rights expert Adama Dieng will go ahead, a month after it was put off at the request of the authorities.

Mr. Dieng, who is the UN Expert on Human Rights in the Sudan, is scheduled to arrive in the country on Sunday 20 February.

During his five-day visit, Mr. Dieng is expected to meet with senior Sudanese government officials, representatives of civil society organizations and human rights defenders.

The development comes after repeated deadly street protests across Sudan that were prompted by a coup last October, after the overthrow of long-time President Omar Al-Bashir in 2019.

In response to the military takeover, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution that led to the appointment of Mr. Dieng to monitor the situation in Sudan “until the restoration of its civilian-led government”.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.