USAID
Wednesday April 27, 2022
Today in Geneva, the United States announced more than $200
million in additional assistance to respond to humanitarian needs in the Horn
of Africa, including from the devastating drought and to address the needs of
refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected population in the
region. This assistance, through the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the U.S. Department of State will help save lives in Ethiopia,
Kenya, and Somalia, where more than 20 million people are projected to need
emergency food assistance this year following two years of inadequate rainfall
in a region dependent on agriculture and livestock to survive.
In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, people are struggling to
meet basic food, water, agriculture, and livestock needs amid the unprecedented
drought. This additional assistance, which will support United Nations and
non-governmental organization partners, will help meet immediate humanitarian
needs by providing lifesaving emergency food and nutrition assistance, health
care and medical supplies, access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene
support, and livelihood support to diversify household income sources and help
keep livestock healthy. The United States is the largest single-country donor
of humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa, providing more than $361
million across the region since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022.
Compounding the dire situation, the war in Ukraine will
continue to have a substantial impact on global food security, including in the
Horn of Africa, through a reduction of Ukrainian agricultural exports combined
with already high prices for food, fertilizer, and fuel. In the absence of
additional and sustained resources to the drought response from other donors,
millions of people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia will likely experience
dire humanitarian outcomes as drought conditions worsen. We call on all
donors–governments, foundations, and the private sector–to provide additional
support to help meet the critical funding gaps in the emergency response that
will save lives.