The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved an emergency relief grant of US$250,000 to Mongolia, to assist communities and families affected by the recent dzud disaster. The crisis has resulted in a decimation of livestock as well the livelihood of families and communities. The OFID grant is a gesture of sympathy and will help provide essential relief supplies and cover emergency operations to be overseen by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The July 5 press release of OFID describes the dzud as an early, heavy snowfall, which wipes out animals and threatens health levels and livelihoods in Mongolia’s rural and urban areas. The direct cause of a dzud is a combination of damaging natural hazards, including severe widespread drought in summer, unusually cold temperatures in autumn and winter and subsequent, heavy snowfall. The indirect causes include over-concentration of stock and overgrazing of pastures in some areas, leading to environmental degradation and the disappearance of abundant grass.

The press release underlines that last winter the dzud wiped out roughly 300,000 animals in Uvs province and 120,000 in Bayan Ulgii province, both located in the western part of Mongolia. All in all the dzud has destroyed the livelihoods of thousand of families who rely on their livestock for income, food and fuel. More than 8 million animals have died, representing almost 20% of the total livestock of the country. A 35% to 40% increase in under-five mortality in dzud-affected areas is just one indicator of the dramatic impact the disaster is having on the population.

The IFAD emergency program is directed at the most affected herder populations to ensure food security and nutrition; access to basic health services, water, sanitation, hygiene and psychosocial support; education services; the reduction of further herd depletion, and the creation of alternative livelihoods. Ambassador of Mongolia to Austria Mr. J. Enkhsaikhan met with Mr. Suleiman Al-Herbish, Director General of OFID and thanked the fund for the generous assistance and underlined that the timely assistance would benefit the affected herders in their post-dzud recovery.

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