The United Nations family of organizations in Namibia has donated commodities worth N$2 million towards assisting flood victims in the Ohangwena and Oshana regions.

The United Nations family came together and mobilized humanitarian assistance to people affected by floods, saying disasters and climate risks pose serious threats to key sectors of Namibia and the ultimate realization of Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN Coordinator, Hopolang Phororo, while reaffirming their commitment to assist the Namibian government in urgent and pressing matters, said the need for an early warning system becomes even more pressing, and building capacity in the field of disaster risk management is critical to ensuring that Namibia is better prepared to respond to such crises.

She said the UN system will continue to offer technical and financial support to Namibia in strengthening and coordinating risk management.

"Witnessing the plight of several households that have been affected and temporarily displaced as a result of the floods in the northern regions, particularly Ohangwena and Oshana, we could not sit back and watch, so we pooled our efforts to provide dignity kits, mosquito nets, food vouchers, and water purification tablets."

Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who received the commodities, said the country is faced with natural disasters affecting multiple aspects of development as funds have to be redirected to address emergencies.

"Namibia is one of the countries affected by climate change, but because of our per-capita income, we do not receive as much support as we feel we should in order to deal with the consequences of climate change. A significant amount of resources in the budget go to emergency programs."

Regions such as Erongo, Omusati, Kunene, and Oshana are still partially affected by the drought.