Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to respond the UN's warning that famine could be declared in Somalia by October 2022.

Almost half of Somalia's population is in dire need of help, with 300,000 people forecast to be in famine by October if assistance is not provided immediately. On 21 September at the UN General Assembly, the Minister for Development, Vicky Ford MP, announced a £22.8 million package of assistance for Somalia to alleviate the impact of drought and address the risk of famine. This brings the UK's total support to Somalia since 1 April 2022 to £52.8 million covering humanitarian, protection, health and nutrition support.

As co-chair of the Somalia Donor Group, the UK continues to lobby for more funds from the international community and non-traditional donors for the urgent response that is required now and to help build resilience for vulnerable populations.