 The three-year drought affecting southern Ethiopia's Burana zone has brought disastrous consequences. The death of millions of livestock has brought to this mainly pastoralist population high levels of acute food insecurity and a very uncertain future. An estimated 3.3 million animals have died, which is almost half the livestock of the Burana zone. Some communities reported a 95% decrease in milk production and the sale of a goat buys five times less maize than in 2020. Child malnutrition is increasing and many families can no longer cope. Burial pits like this one in Dubluque can be found in each village of the zone. They represent the dark reality of the drought, with many families having lost all their animals. Livestock are the foundation of the Buranas livelihoods and culture. They provide all the animal proteins for the household and are its only source of income. When livestock are threatened, so are people's access to basic necessities like food and healthcare and so is their way of life. Without livestock, pastoralist families find themselves completely destitute with no hope in the future. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, has been providing drought-affected communities with animal fodder and feed, veterinary support and cash transfers to try and save as many animals as possible. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, has been providing drought-affected communities with animal fodder and feed, veterinary support and cash transfers to try and save as many animals as possible. In areas where cultivation is possible, families have received crop and fodder seed, as well as fertilizers. Altogether, FAO supported 150,000 households or over 750,000 people since the beginning of the drought. FAO is also involved in the rehabilitation of water ponds. These ponds are important assets for Burana communities as they can store water for months after the rainy season. The harsh realities of climate change require emergency programs to be scaled up. Supporting communities affected by climate extremes means addressing their immediate needs while making sure they're prepared and resilient in the long term. So the key thing in my view is the need to sustain this support over time because we know that these kind of situations of drought, they are more frequent, they are more intense, they are more prolonged and therefore we cannot be satisfied with the ones of type of assistance. It has to be sustained. It also calls for partnership because not one entity can do it alone. So we need to come together, we need to work with many partners so that the coverage is adequate and the support is meaningful and then we can then live at the affected communities at a point where they are able to sustain their livelihoods. Without sustained actions to build resilience in the Burana zone, more animals will die and more households will fall into destitution. There will most likely be a dramatic rise in acute food insecurity, malnutrition and potentially massive population movements. In addition to the support FAO has received from its partners to provide relief to the Burana people, multi-year flexible funding is urgently needed to strengthen the resilience of households and communities and help them find the solutions for a sustainable future. Although confronted with the worst drought in their history, the Buranas have not lost hope. It is our duty to stand alongside them and help them build a resilient future.