Donors Pledge Close to 1.4 Billion USD for Horn of Africa Drought Response

Donors pledged 1.39 billion USD for humanitarian and development response to the drought in the Horn of Africa, According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The drought in the region has left more than 15 million people severely food insecure across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

The pledges were made at a high-level round table in Geneva, co-hosted by the OCHA and the EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), and with the participation of senior representatives from the Governments of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Humanitarians have called for 1.4 billion USD for humanitarian response and protection for drought-affected people across the Horn of Africa.

With the funds pledged on Tuesday, humanitarian agencies will provide urgent food, nutrition, cash and health assistance, as well as fodder and medicines to keep livestock alive.

The round table was held as the Horn of Africa faces a fourth consecutive poor rainy season, which is already causing acute hunger and malnutrition, mass displacement, disease outbreaks and heightened protection risks for millions of people.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency