WHO: Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Filippo Grandi, High Commissioner for Refugees

WHAT: Mission to Kenya

WHEN: 1 February 2018

WHERE: Kakuma, Nairobi

Following his visit to Ethiopia and Somalia, UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock will join the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on a visit to Kakuma refugee camp and jointly launch the South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan in Nairobi on 1 February.

Kakuma refugee camp hosts around 186,600 refugees and asylum-seekers, the majority of whom, around 106,000, are from South Sudan. 

Humanitarian needs in South Sudan continue to escalate, mainly due to conflict, displacement and food insecurity. More than two million South Sudanese are refugees in neighbouring countries, while an estimated seven million people in South Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Humanitarian partners in South Sudan need US$1.7 billion to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to six million people across the country. 

An anticipated 3.1 million South Sudanese will be refugees by the end of 2018 in six neighbouring countries. UNCHR and partners are requesting for $1.5 billion to address their needs.