U.S. Response to Humanitarian Crisis in the Horn of Africa

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

September 23, 2011

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On September 23, 2011 at the United Nations, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced approximately $42 million in additional humanitarian assistance which includes an additional $30 million for Somalia.

More than13.3 million people are in need of emergency assistance in the Horn of Africa, primarily in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. The United States is deeply concerned by the humanitarian emergency in the Horn of Africa, the famine that is occurring in parts of Somalia, the ongoing conflict and political instability within Somalia, and the escalating refugee crisis across the region. A large-scale international response is underway to prevent the further deterioration of an already dire situation, but there will be no quick fix.

The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the region, now providing nearly $650 million in life-saving assistance to those in need. This assistance has reached nearly 4.5 million people, many of whom would otherwise have died from starvation or related disease. Al-Shabaab’s continued efforts to block nongovernmental organization access to the most vulnerable areas of Somalia and its limitations on the delivery of life sustaining humanitarian assistance further exacerbates the humanitarian crisis. Because emergency assistance will not solve the underlying problems in the region, the United States also is developing long-term food security in Kenya and Ethiopia through the President’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future, to help prevent such crises from recurring.

Humanitarian Assistance to Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Drought Affected Populations: Reports from inside Somalia indicate the situation is growing increasingly desperate. The nearly $650 million the United States is providing includes protection and assistance for refugees in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, including funding for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) recent Emergency Appeal for Somali Refugees as well as other humanitarian partners working inside and outside Somalia. Our diplomacy and our dollars leverage support from other donors for international protection and assistance efforts. These efforts are critical to saving lives and maintaining access to safe asylum in Somalia’s neighboring countries, even as those countries struggle with the worst drought in 60 years.

U.S. assistance also supports health, nutrition, agriculture and food security, economic recovery and market systems, humanitarian coordination and information management, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya. The United States is addressing the immediate life-saving needs of affected populations while also building communities’ resilience to future shocks.

Food Security: Part of our humanitarian assistance benefits those in need of food assistance and allows our food aid partners, including the UN World Food Program (WFP), to expand geographic coverage and scale up feeding programs in drought-affected areas in Ethiopia and Kenya. In total, the United States is providing approximately $435 million in humanitarian food aid to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia this fiscal year.

The U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) have maintained a strong presence in the region for decades, enabling the humanitarian community to identify conditions based on an extensive analysis of historical and current rainfall, cropping patterns, livestock health, market prices and malnutrition rates. Early warning of the crisis in the Horn of Africa by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit and Famine Early Warning Systems Network allowed the United States to alert other donors and preposition food stock and quickly scale up emergency programs to meet the increasing needs in the region.

Feed the Future: President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative, which helps address the root causes of hunger and undernutrition through sustainable development of entire agricultural value chains, is critical at this time. Increasing the resilience and further developing the capacity of pastoralists to engage in a commercially viable livestock trade is crucial to breaking the disaster cycle across the Horn. By working with other donors and governments in the region, Feed the Future will increase overall agricultural production.

For example, Ethiopia’s Feed the Future program emphasizes improving early warning systems, disaster risk management, and development of alternative income sources in pastoralist and agriculture areas through programs including Ethiopia’s Pastoralist Livelihoods Initiative. This program has increased the value and sales of livestock by improving livestock health services, institutionalizing early warning and response, and improving land and water management. At the regional level, East Africa’s Livestock Trade program increases the quality and availability of trade information, improving animal health, and building capacity for private sector trade groups.

Total Current U.S. Government Funding for Humanitarian Assistance to Horn of Africa

Implementing Partner, Activity, Amount (In Millions)

SOMALIA

Implementing Partners that Specialize in Emergency Operations Agriculture, Food Security, Economic Recovery, Health, Coordination and Information, Nutrition, Protection, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, $72.1
UN World Food Program (WFP) International Development Assistance, Emergency Food Assistance for Drought-Affected Areas $60.4

Total Assistance to Somalia $132.5

KENYA

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Implementing Partners that Specialize in Emergency Operations Agriculture, Food Security, Economic Recovery and Market Systems, Humanitarian Studies, and Nutrition, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene $26.6
WFP Emergency Food Assistance for Drought-Affected Areas, Emergency Food Assistance for Refugees. $128.6
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International NGOs, and other international organizations. Support for Refugee Protection and Assistance $50.8

Total Assistance to Kenya $206.0

ETHIOPIA

UN Department of Safety and Security, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, WFP, and International and local NGOs that specialize in emergency operations Agriculture and Food Security, Humanitarian Coordination and Information Management, Logistics and Relief Commodities, Nutrition, Protection, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene $34.5
WFP Food Assistance for Refugees, Relief Food Assistance for Drought-Affected Areas $149.3
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) / Joint Emergency Operations Relief Food Assistance $64.3
UNHCR, International NGOs, and other international organizations Refugee Protection and Assistance $42.2

Total Assistance to Ethiopia $290.3

DJIBOUTI
WFP Title II Emergency Food Assistance $4.8
UNHCR Refugee Protection and Assistance $1.4

Total Assistance to Djibouti $6.2

REGIONAL FUNDING
ICRC and UNHCR Support to Regional Activities $12.0

Total Regional Assistance $12.0

TOTAL U.S. GOVERNMENT HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO THE HORN OF AFRICA IN FY 2011 $647.0

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