World Food Program
Rome Emergency Meeting Rallies To Aid Horn Of Africa (FAO)
July 25, 2011
Rome - 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. click for more
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.
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