Key messages
The region is extremely vulnerable to weather hazards such as tropical cyclones, floods, droughts and strong winds.
There is lack of resilience and coping mechanisms to the climate-related shocks, which results in heavy social and economic consequences for the population. Improving the local communities' resilience capacities remains central to the EU’s humanitarian assistance.
Food and nutrition security in the region also remains extremely fragile.
Following uneven rain performances last season and an expected delayed onset of the 2015-2016 rain season due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, the food insecurity situation is particularly dire and about 8 million people in the region are in need of food assistance.Malnutrition levels, particularly stunting levels, in the entire region are very high and a cause for serious concern. All the countries in the region have levels that are above the 20% World Health Organization (WHO) threshold for stunting, and several countries (Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar) have levels between 40 and 50%.
Across the region, food insecurity is exacerbated by political instability, socioeconomic challenges, the world's highest number of HIV/AIDS cases, and widespread poverty
In December 2015, the EU announced emergency support of €12 million for Southern Africa as one of the regions most affected by El Niño. The new aid will help meet urgent needs of the populations, but also support resilience efforts to make them better equipped in the future. It brings the total EU support since 2012 to almost €70 million.