13 March 2017 - “Assurances by senior Government officials of unconditional access and no bureaucratic impediments now need to be turned into action on the ground,” the UN's top humanitarian official has said.

Mr. Stephene OBriene was briefing the UN Security Council on Friday on the situation in South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and north-east Nigeria,  - countries facing famine.

The Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator told the Security Council “active hostilities, access denials and bureaucratic impediments continue to curtail their efforts to reach people who desperately need help.”

“Aid workers have been killed; humanitarian compounds and supplies have been attacked, looted, and occupied by armed actors.” He also cited an incident in which humanitarians had to leave one of the famine-affected counties because of fighting.

Mr O’Briene also raised an alarm about the horrors women were facing due to sexual and gender based violence.

“Some of these women have experienced the most appalling acts of sexual violence – which continues to be used as a weapon of war. Their harrowing stories are only a few among thousands who have suffered a similar fate across the country.”

The Humanitarian chief said that the UN is at a critical point in its history. “The global body is facing the largest humanitarian crisis since its creation more than 70 years ago.”

He said that an immediate injection of funds plus safe and unimpeded access are required to enable partners to avert a catastrophe for all three crises and North-Eastern Nigeria.

“Otherwise, many people will predictably die from hunger, livelihoods will be lost, and political gains that have been hardwon over the last few years will be reversed. To be precise we need $4.4 billion by July, and that’s a detailed cost, not a negotiating number,” he added.