The United Kingdom on Monday announced a £17 million package of support to countries in East Africa affected by extreme drought and flooding.
Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, made the announcement while on a three-country visit to East Africa, starting in Kenya today.
She noted that the package will provide vital assistance to almost a million people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia who are facing the worst drought in decades, and in South Sudan who are suffering widespread flooding for a third consecutive year.
Extreme weather events associated with climate change are worsening pre-existing drought and flood cycles and ruining harvests. Poor governance and ongoing conflicts in Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia are exacerbating the impact of these events by displacing vulnerable communities, destroying livelihoods and limiting access to humanitarian assistance.
Ford said, “For countries in East Africa, climate change is not a future problem – it is driving a humanitarian emergency right now.
“Catastrophic droughts and floods, paired with ongoing conflicts and poor governance in Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia, are creating a perfect storm in East Africa which risks pushing hundreds of thousands of people into famine.
“The UK’s commitment to supporting our partners in East Africa is unwavering and we know that early action now can prevent mass loss of life. This funding package will provide vital assistance to almost a million people across the region, helping those affected to access clean water and healthy food.
“The UK is moving quickly to provide support as experience has shown that early, preventative action is vital to avoiding mass loss of life.”
There are approximately half of Somalia’s population who need life-saving aid because of the ongoing drought. There were 260,000 deaths from a drought of similar scale in 2011. There are almost 3 million people in Kenya who are in dire need of food.
This year, drought-affected areas of Ethiopia are estimated to need food assistance for more than 6.4 million people. Extreme flooding and violence in South Sudan have affected over 835,000 people, including displacing more than 350,000.
A combination of food assistance, water and hygiene supplies will be provided to around 500,000 people in Somalia, 100,000 people in South Sudan and 26,000 children in Kenya through the funding.
As host of COP26 in Glasgow, the United Kingdom made supporting communities affected by extreme weather events a priority. During the summit, wealthy nations committed to doubling the overall climate finance available for adaptation.
A ‘Room to Run’ guarantee with the African Development Bank is also expected to unlock new funding for projects aimed at assisting countries to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Africa has long-standing support from the UK when it comes to coping with climate change, with around half of its £2.7 billion adaptation budget allocated to Africa between 2016 and 2020.