Africa: Droughts

(asked on 25th July 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian effect of the drought across the East and Horn of Africa; and what steps his Department is taking to support those at risk of food insecurity.


Answered by
Andrew Stephenson Portrait
Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 3rd September 2019

DFID is concerned by the impact of the drought in the East and Horn of Africa and has taken early action across the region to save lives.

In Somalia, the UK is at the forefront of the humanitarian response delivering vital water, shelter, nutrition and food and supporting over one million people in the ongoing relief effort. In Ethiopia, DFID continues to support the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme that reaches 8 million chronically food insecure people in drought affected regions with conditional cash transfers. In Kenya, DFID supports the Government of Kenya’s Hunger Safety Net Programme, which also provides cash transfers to some of the poorest households reaching 720,000 people.

DFID will continue to support communities and states in the east and Horn to build resilience to crises and shocks. We will continue to monitor the situation and press the international community to commit further support where it is needed. Our work on humanitarian early warning systems raises awareness of crises where food security is deteriorating, and we prioritise longer-term responses to support food security, including through agricultural programmes.

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