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.
