UN seeks 650 million dollars for Ethiopia sanitation

March 25, 2008 (NAIROBI) — The United Nations Children’s Fund is seeking 650 million dollars for sanitation in Ethiopia, where 35 million people are deprived of adequate hygiene, a UNICEF statement said Tuesday.

The African Development Bank, the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) have pledged more than 50 million dollars for the project, but UNICEF added that it was “still a far cry, however, from the estimated 650 million dollars required for universal coverage in Ethiopia.”

“UNICEF calls on all donors to invest in achieving sustainable access to improved sanitation which is essential for the realization of human rights, health and dignity,” said Bjorn Ljungqvist, UNICEF representative to Ethiopia.

Though more than 1.2 billion people worldwide have gained access to improved sanitation between 1990 and 2004, an estimated 2.6 billion people — including 980 million children — have yet to be reached.

(AFP)