Hunger: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.