Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at ECOSOC Meeting on Cyclone Idai [as prepared for delivery].

Your Excellency, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the President of ECOSOC for convening this meeting.

Nearly three weeks since Cyclone Idai struck Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the needs remain profound.

And the risks of more floods, spread of disease and more lives lost persist.

Many areas are now affected by cholera outbreaks, with the current tally of 1,000 cases expected to grow.

The storm flattened thousands of homes and flooded acres upon acres of farmland.

And more than 200,000 people have been displaced.

I pay tribute to the local, national and international responders who have been on the scene from the earliest moments of this crisis, saving countless lives and preventing an even more devastating outcome.

The United Nations has also been on the ground from day one.

We supported the initial search-and-rescue efforts.

We are providing life-saving assistance.

For example, the World Food Programme is providing high-energy, fortified food products and supporting efforts to assess damage in affected areas.

UNICEF is working together with the government and partners to restore drinking water systems across affected parts of Mozambique.

The World Health Organization is distributing cholera vaccines and supporting the set-up of treatment centres.

And the Central Emergency Response Fund immediately disbursed $20 million.

Yet the response is still underfunded.

We also need to ensure that the response is expanded to rural areas and communities.

The three countries need $392 million for the next three months. Yet only $46 million has been recorded on the Financial Tracking System.

I call on Member States to bridge this gap.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we urgently stem this crisis, we must also look toward rebuilding and preventing future such disasters.

Beyond the emergency phase, we need to ensure sustained support that will help people and Governments cope with the longer term development consequences of the storm, from shelter and health to food security.

Such calamities can erase, in an instant, years of hard-won progress.

And while it is impossible to link any single weather event with climate change, such extreme storms are consistent with what scientists are telling us about the impacts of global warming - and with what our own eyes can see.

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