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Hunger: East Africa and the Horn of Africa
25 April 2023
Lead MP
Patrick Grady
Glasgow North
SNP
Responding Minister
Leo Docherty
Tags
UkraineClimateAgriculture & Rural Affairs
Word Count: 13129
Other Contributors: 14
At a Glance
Patrick Grady raised concerns about hunger: east africa and the horn of africa in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The UK Government must increase their aid contribution significantly and lead by example at the high-level pledging conference in New York on May 24th. The disbursement of the pledged £1.5 billion to the Nutrition for Growth fund should be timely. Additionally, funds should be spent effectively through locally led interventions and grassroots organizations.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The UK public's awareness of the hunger crisis in East and Horn of Africa is alarmingly low at 23%, while awareness of Ukraine's crisis stands at 91%. The region faces a food security situation where one person dies every 36 seconds due to malnutrition, with around 46 million people facing 'crisis levels or worse' under the integrated food security phase classification system. Manenji from Oxfam in South Sudan described dead livestock and lost income; Alec from World Vision in Somalia noted children losing out on education due to displacement; John from Action contra la Faim in Kenya highlighted cholera outbreaks caused by inadequate sanitation; Catherine from CAFOD in Kenya reported that some rains are causing floods, further damaging crops.
Ribble Valley
Visited Kenya earlier this year with Oxfam and the Coalition for Global Prosperity, observing the effects of famine. Emphasized that aid effectiveness is not just about the amount but also where it goes, highlighting the importance of local providers in emergency relief. Mr. Stafford asked whether it would be easier for the UK to send aid directly to Somaliland if it were recognised as an independent country.
Anum Qaisar
Lab
Bolton South East
Communities in the east and Horn of Africa are facing a climate-induced drought crisis, estimated by Action Against Hunger to cause one death every 36 seconds due to acute food insecurity. The UK must increase aid funding from £156 million in 2022 to better levels seen in previous years. UNICEF's request for £70 million over the next year to treat malnutrition could reach a million children.
Newcastle upon Tyne North
She expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in East Africa, where one person is likely to die every 36 seconds due to acute food insecurity. McKinnell highlighted that the UK provided only a fifth of the aid given during the previous hunger crisis and is cutting its aid budget further by £25 million for east and central African countries. She urged the Government to spend its aid budget more wisely on local, resilient food systems and to address unpayable debts in affected countries.
Fleur Anderson
Lab
Putney
Ms Fleur Anderson highlighted the severe food crisis in East Africa, noting that over 50 million people face acute food insecurity and a person dies every six seconds. She cited underfunding, climate change, conflict, disease outbreaks, cost of living crises, reduced aid, and unpayable debt levels as contributing factors. Ms Anderson also emphasized the disproportionate impact on women and girls, mentioning increased risks of malnutrition and violence.
Gavin Williamson
Con
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Mr. Williamson highlighted the increasing food prices in Somalia and Somaliland, with a kilogram of rice doubling from 75 cents to $2, and three litres of cooking oil rising from $4.50 to $9 by October 2022. He called for direct aid delivery through Berbera port to bypass political issues in Mogadishu and urged the UK to take a leadership role as it did during previous crises.
He agreed that the international response to food insecurity in East Africa is too slow and indecisive, urging a fresh approach to addressing political conflicts underlying the crisis.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
Agreed with the hon. Member on the application of resources and noted that extraction of clean water is part of the problem, suggesting more should be done to assist NGOs in this aspect. He paid tribute to church and faith groups for their efforts in providing humanitarian aid and urged the government to support such initiatives.
Hilary Benn
Lab
Leeds South
Benn joined others in congratulating the hon. Member for Glasgow North on his opening contribution. He emphasized that tackling poverty, conflict, and climate change is crucial to prevent a future of mass migration due to environmental disasters. Benn pointed out the lack of public engagement during previous aid budget cuts and highlighted the need to address human-made climate change before it causes unprecedented population movements around the world.
Ian Byrne
Lab
Liverpool West Derby
The hon. Member highlighted the severe drought and climate change impact in East Africa, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition for millions of people. He emphasized that below-average rainfall has resulted in poor livestock conditions, displacement, and a surge in refugees and internally displaced persons. The crisis is also affecting education with thousands dropping out due to lack of food. Ian Byrne stressed the need for investment in local solutions such as water wells which help pastoralists survive the drought. He urged the Minister to increase funding from £156 million to match previous commitments and to reinstate the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon expressed concern over the ongoing food crisis in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, highlighting that millions of people, particularly children, are affected by acute hunger. He mentioned that 36.4 million people were suffering from drought impacts, with 21.7 million needing food assistance and 5.7 million children requiring treatment for acute malnutrition. Shannon also discussed the need to support long-term projects that enable families to become sustainable, such as animal breeding initiatives.
Lyn Brown
Lab
West Ham
She highlighted the severe drought in East Africa, where 22 million people are food insecure, 16 million lack adequate water access, and over 5.1 million children suffer from acute malnutrition. She mentioned Sudan's humanitarian crisis due to conflict and South Sudan's challenges exacerbated by flooding and political deadlock. She also addressed Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya's struggles with drought, conflict, and displacement.
Robin Millar
Con
Blyth Valley
Millar highlighted the importance of debates on East Africa's crisis despite other global issues. He focused on Ethiopia, emphasizing community-based healthcare and aid models such as bilateral direct aid, multilateral direct aid through Gavi, and implementation aid, which he said lacked a lasting impact.
Sarah Champion
Lab
Rotherham
She highlighted the global food insecurity crisis, particularly in East Africa, where 48 million people face crisis levels of food insecurity, 6 million are at emergency level and 130,000 face catastrophic conditions. The drought in East Africa has caused severe agricultural damage with over 9.5 million livestock deaths. She stressed the need for international attention and funding to address the growing hunger crisis. Asked if £300 million mentioned by the Minister was for humanitarian aid or general aid to east Africa.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
I am grateful to the hon. Member for securing this debate and visited Turkana county in Kenya with Tearfund charity, witnessing four years of no rain leading to devastating consequences. To tackle the famine in 2017 the UK Government contributed £900 million while currently only £156 million has been contributed.
Government Response
Leo Docherty
Government Response
The Minister highlighted the severe situation in east Africa, a region facing one of the largest humanitarian crises due to climate change and conflict. He mentioned that over 72 million people will require assistance in 2023. The UK Government provided £156 million in aid last year and plans to spend an additional £390 million this financial year. Since 2019, the UK has invested more than £1 billion in humanitarian aid alone for east Africa. Despite reductions in overall ODA spending, the UK remains a significant contributor, being the third highest spender of ODA as a percentage of GNI among G7 countries.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.