Following the emergency meeting on the food and humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa held in Rome on 25 July at the request of the French Presidency of the G20, FAO and WFP welcome the international community's determined mobilization in response to the situation.
A press release from the two organisations says this mobilization is aimed first of all at meeting the challenges of the humanitarian and food emergency by coordinating the response of international agencies and humanitarian organizations and by raising the funds required.
"Beyond the emergency, it will be necessary to put into place the long-term solutions needed to guarantee food security in the Horn of Africa. There will be no sustainable solution to the crisis without measures that enable the countries of the region to become food self-sufficient, develop food crop production and support pastoralism and massively reinvest in agriculture and livestock-raising in the region."
FAO and WFP welcome the fact that the the French Presidency of the G20 has "put agriculture and food security at the top of its priorities" and hail its initiatives such as the Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture to mobilize the international community in support of the Horn of Africa's food security.
The FAO says that mobilization must not diminish.
Sunday 31 July 2011
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Urgency needed for Horn of Africa
The international community rallied today to the aid of drought- and famine-affected populations in the Horn of Africa with an immediate, twin-track programme designed to avert an imminent humanitarian catastrophe and build long-term food security in the region.
The meeting was organized by FAO at the urgent request of the French Presidency of the Group of 20 and was attended by Ministers and senior representatives from FAO's 191 Member Countries, other UN agencies and international and non-governmental organizations.
The food crisis in the Horn of Africa, triggered by drought, conflict and high food prices, is affecting more than 12 million people, with two regions of southern Somalia suffering from famine.
Today's emergency meeting recognized that "if this crisis is not quickly contained and reversed, it could grow rapidly into a humanitarian disaster affecting many parts of the greater Horn of Africa region and that it is of paramount importance that we address the needs of the people affected and the livelihood systems upon which they depend for survival".
Saving lives and livelihoods
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said: "The combined forces of drought, inflation and conflict have created a catastrophic situation that urgently requires massive international support. If we want to avoid future famine and food insecurity crises in the region, countries and the international community urgently need to bolster the agricultural sector and accelerate investments in rural development."
Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of Agriculture said: "This crisis highlights the need for urgent implementation of the action plan on food price volatility and agriculture adopted by G20 Agriculture ministers on 23 June in Paris, notably regarding international policy coordination, agricultural production and productivity and targeted emergency humanitarian food reserves."
"Many of the women I met in Somalia and Kenya over the past few days had lost their children and had no one to depend on but the humanitarian agencies on the ground," said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran. "This drought has swept the Horn of Africa where more than 11 million people are in need of food assistance. We are particularly worried about Somalia right now and it is vital that we reach those at the epicentre of the famine with food assistance — especially the highly fortified nutritious products that are so important for vulnerable children.
The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze said: "Building resilience of farming and herding communities in the Horn of Africa and the world over requires a long-term commitment. But time — as we can see from the devastating situation in the Horn of Africa — is running out. Increased investment in sustainable agriculture needs to happen now, so that when the next drought comes, wherever in the world, there will be less suffering, less desperation. Even if the rains fail, we cannot."
Oxfam Chief Executive Barbara Stocking said: "Lives in East Africa hang in balance, now, today. World leaders have no excuses for not generously responding. There can be no problem more pressing, more acute, more urgent than millions of people staring at the spectre of starvation in this part of Africa. This should not be happening. It is a colossal outrage that the warnings went unheeded, that the lessons of previous famines have been ignored. Yes we need to save lives today but we also need to ensure that people have a future. Above all we need to build a global food system that allows everyone enough to eat."
Country-led response
The meeting agreed that governments of the six countries hit by the crisis would manage the response to the crisis, informed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's (IASC) Horn of Africa Plan of Action.
The meeting stressed that there is still a "window of opportunity" to support affected populations to resume their livelihoods and to enable farmers, fishers and herders to help themselves through these times of crisis within their own communities and emphasised that displacement of populations should be avoided as far as possible.
Specifically, support should be given to pastoralists and agropastoralists, who constitute a dynamic and sustainable livelihood system in the region, the meeting agreed. At the same time, however, it was recognized that the mobility of pastoralists and their livestock within countries and across borders was essential for saving lives and preserving the foundations of food and nutrition security.
Humanitarian issues
Securing long-term food and nutrition security in the Horn of Africa requires focussing on a range of humanitarian issues affecting the region, including conflict, preservation of humanitarian space, nutrition, disaster risk reduction, health and education services and climate change adaptation and mitigation. In addition, sustainable agriculture needs to become an investment priority along with policies that will help it expand. The issue of women's workload and their control of productive resources should also be addressed.
"We commit to an immediate and appropriate response to ensure that affected countries and communities have the capacity to preserve the vulnerable livelihoods on which so many people's lives depend while building long-term resilience and safeguarding the foundations of food security to ensure sustainable reduction of hunger and malnutrition," the meeting concluded.
The meeting was organized by FAO at the urgent request of the French Presidency of the Group of 20 and was attended by Ministers and senior representatives from FAO's 191 Member Countries, other UN agencies and international and non-governmental organizations.
The food crisis in the Horn of Africa, triggered by drought, conflict and high food prices, is affecting more than 12 million people, with two regions of southern Somalia suffering from famine.
Today's emergency meeting recognized that "if this crisis is not quickly contained and reversed, it could grow rapidly into a humanitarian disaster affecting many parts of the greater Horn of Africa region and that it is of paramount importance that we address the needs of the people affected and the livelihood systems upon which they depend for survival".
Saving lives and livelihoods
FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said: "The combined forces of drought, inflation and conflict have created a catastrophic situation that urgently requires massive international support. If we want to avoid future famine and food insecurity crises in the region, countries and the international community urgently need to bolster the agricultural sector and accelerate investments in rural development."
Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of Agriculture said: "This crisis highlights the need for urgent implementation of the action plan on food price volatility and agriculture adopted by G20 Agriculture ministers on 23 June in Paris, notably regarding international policy coordination, agricultural production and productivity and targeted emergency humanitarian food reserves."
"Many of the women I met in Somalia and Kenya over the past few days had lost their children and had no one to depend on but the humanitarian agencies on the ground," said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran. "This drought has swept the Horn of Africa where more than 11 million people are in need of food assistance. We are particularly worried about Somalia right now and it is vital that we reach those at the epicentre of the famine with food assistance — especially the highly fortified nutritious products that are so important for vulnerable children.
The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze said: "Building resilience of farming and herding communities in the Horn of Africa and the world over requires a long-term commitment. But time — as we can see from the devastating situation in the Horn of Africa — is running out. Increased investment in sustainable agriculture needs to happen now, so that when the next drought comes, wherever in the world, there will be less suffering, less desperation. Even if the rains fail, we cannot."
Oxfam Chief Executive Barbara Stocking said: "Lives in East Africa hang in balance, now, today. World leaders have no excuses for not generously responding. There can be no problem more pressing, more acute, more urgent than millions of people staring at the spectre of starvation in this part of Africa. This should not be happening. It is a colossal outrage that the warnings went unheeded, that the lessons of previous famines have been ignored. Yes we need to save lives today but we also need to ensure that people have a future. Above all we need to build a global food system that allows everyone enough to eat."
Country-led response
The meeting agreed that governments of the six countries hit by the crisis would manage the response to the crisis, informed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's (IASC) Horn of Africa Plan of Action.
The meeting stressed that there is still a "window of opportunity" to support affected populations to resume their livelihoods and to enable farmers, fishers and herders to help themselves through these times of crisis within their own communities and emphasised that displacement of populations should be avoided as far as possible.
Specifically, support should be given to pastoralists and agropastoralists, who constitute a dynamic and sustainable livelihood system in the region, the meeting agreed. At the same time, however, it was recognized that the mobility of pastoralists and their livestock within countries and across borders was essential for saving lives and preserving the foundations of food and nutrition security.
Humanitarian issues
Securing long-term food and nutrition security in the Horn of Africa requires focussing on a range of humanitarian issues affecting the region, including conflict, preservation of humanitarian space, nutrition, disaster risk reduction, health and education services and climate change adaptation and mitigation. In addition, sustainable agriculture needs to become an investment priority along with policies that will help it expand. The issue of women's workload and their control of productive resources should also be addressed.
"We commit to an immediate and appropriate response to ensure that affected countries and communities have the capacity to preserve the vulnerable livelihoods on which so many people's lives depend while building long-term resilience and safeguarding the foundations of food security to ensure sustainable reduction of hunger and malnutrition," the meeting concluded.
- Source: FAO
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Famine prompts FAO call to action
Nairobi/Rome, 20 July 2011 - Famine in Somalia has killed tens of thousands of people in recent months and could grow even worse unless urgent action is taken, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Wednesday. FAO has appealed for $120 million for response to the drought in the Horn of Africa to provide agricultural emergency assistance.
Hundreds of people are dying every day and if we do not act now many more will perish," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.
"We must avert a human tragedy of vast proportions. And much as food assistance is needed now, we also have to scale up investments in sustainable immediate and medium-term interventions that help farmers and their families to protect their assets and continue to produce food.
Special report
In a special report published today the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network officially declared a state of famine in two regions of southern Somalia, Bakool and Lower Shabelle.
The report warns that in the next one or two months famine will become widespread throughout southern Somalia.
Together with ongoing crises in the rest of the country, the number of Somalis in need of humanitarian assistance has increased from 2.4 million to 3.7 million in the last 6 months. Altogether, around 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are currently in need of emergency assistance.
International meeting
An international emergency meeting will be held in Rome on Monday, 25 July, to address the escalating crisis in the Horn of Africa and mobilize international support. The French government, holding the G20 presidency, requested FAO to organize the High-Level Ministerial Meeting, to which FAO's 191 member countries, UN agencies, international organizations, development banks and non-governmental organizations have been invited.
Right before the meeting, from 22 to 24 July, the Director-General of FAO will travel to Nairobi with the French Minister for Agriculture and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme.
Famine is classified using a tool called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification with three main criteria: severe lack of food access for large populations, acute malnutrition rates exceeding 30 percent of the population and Crude Death Rate exceeding 2 people per 10,000 population per day.
Acute malnutrition
Currently in some parts of Bakool and Lower Shabelle acute malnutrition tops 50 percent and death rates exceed six per 10,000 population per day.
In order to address the current crisis in Somalia, FAO is appealing for $70 million for the country to provide interventions including cash-for-work activities, provision of farm inputs and livestock emergency health services.
A rare combination of conflict and insecurity, limited access for humanitarian organizations, successive harvest failures and a lack of food assistance has jeopardized an entire population in southern Somalia. The country has suffered war on and off since 1991.
Farm inputs
FAO has been helping Somali farmers and herders with farm inputs and livestock health services. But drought due to successive poor rain seasons has curtailed food production and wiped out livestock assets.
"We need to immediately support farmers with seeds, tools and access to water and herders with fodder and emergency treatment to avoid further displacement and starvation," said Luca Alinovi FAO's Officer in Charge for Somalia.
The current crisis affects the whole Horn of Africa region including the northern part of Kenya and southern parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Karamoja Region of Uganda where large areas are classified as in a state of humanitarian emergency.
Regional crisis
To address the regional crisis FAO is calling for an additional $120 million for the Horn of Africa including $70 million for Somalia and $50 million for Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Uganda. In this scenario it is important not to forget the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan for which FAO appealed for $37 million.
"We need to not lose sight that there is a tiny window of opportunity to prevent massive deaths and destitution," said Rod Charters, FAO Regional Emergency Coordinator for Eastern Africa.
"Currently in the neighboring countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, 7.9 million people are in need of urgent emergency assistance. Support through agriculture and livestock not only provides essential food but an income for families and we need to give people affected by the drought the chance to rebuild their lives," he added.
Hundreds of people are dying every day and if we do not act now many more will perish," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.
"We must avert a human tragedy of vast proportions. And much as food assistance is needed now, we also have to scale up investments in sustainable immediate and medium-term interventions that help farmers and their families to protect their assets and continue to produce food.
Special report
In a special report published today the FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network officially declared a state of famine in two regions of southern Somalia, Bakool and Lower Shabelle.
The report warns that in the next one or two months famine will become widespread throughout southern Somalia.
Together with ongoing crises in the rest of the country, the number of Somalis in need of humanitarian assistance has increased from 2.4 million to 3.7 million in the last 6 months. Altogether, around 12 million people in the Horn of Africa are currently in need of emergency assistance.
International meeting
An international emergency meeting will be held in Rome on Monday, 25 July, to address the escalating crisis in the Horn of Africa and mobilize international support. The French government, holding the G20 presidency, requested FAO to organize the High-Level Ministerial Meeting, to which FAO's 191 member countries, UN agencies, international organizations, development banks and non-governmental organizations have been invited.
Right before the meeting, from 22 to 24 July, the Director-General of FAO will travel to Nairobi with the French Minister for Agriculture and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme.
Famine is classified using a tool called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification with three main criteria: severe lack of food access for large populations, acute malnutrition rates exceeding 30 percent of the population and Crude Death Rate exceeding 2 people per 10,000 population per day.
Acute malnutrition
Currently in some parts of Bakool and Lower Shabelle acute malnutrition tops 50 percent and death rates exceed six per 10,000 population per day.
In order to address the current crisis in Somalia, FAO is appealing for $70 million for the country to provide interventions including cash-for-work activities, provision of farm inputs and livestock emergency health services.
A rare combination of conflict and insecurity, limited access for humanitarian organizations, successive harvest failures and a lack of food assistance has jeopardized an entire population in southern Somalia. The country has suffered war on and off since 1991.
Farm inputs
FAO has been helping Somali farmers and herders with farm inputs and livestock health services. But drought due to successive poor rain seasons has curtailed food production and wiped out livestock assets.
"We need to immediately support farmers with seeds, tools and access to water and herders with fodder and emergency treatment to avoid further displacement and starvation," said Luca Alinovi FAO's Officer in Charge for Somalia.
The current crisis affects the whole Horn of Africa region including the northern part of Kenya and southern parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Karamoja Region of Uganda where large areas are classified as in a state of humanitarian emergency.
Regional crisis
To address the regional crisis FAO is calling for an additional $120 million for the Horn of Africa including $70 million for Somalia and $50 million for Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Uganda. In this scenario it is important not to forget the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan for which FAO appealed for $37 million.
"We need to not lose sight that there is a tiny window of opportunity to prevent massive deaths and destitution," said Rod Charters, FAO Regional Emergency Coordinator for Eastern Africa.
"Currently in the neighboring countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, 7.9 million people are in need of urgent emergency assistance. Support through agriculture and livestock not only provides essential food but an income for families and we need to give people affected by the drought the chance to rebuild their lives," he added.
-FAO
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)