Tuesday, November 15, 2011
THE EU is appointing a special representative for the Horn of Africa, focusing firstly on Somalia, the country plagued by famine and war.
The United Nations has warned many more thousands of people remain in danger in the region, with three quarters of a million at risk of death in Somalia, while millions in the fragile surrounding countries do not have sufficient food supplies.
As attacks by the jihidi al-Shabaab group continue to try to overthrow the government, especially in the southern part of the country and retaliation by the Kenyan military, increasing numbers of people are fleeing. The number of refugees arriving in Ethiopia in October was nearly double that of the previous month.
Ireland’s Development Minister Jan O’Sullivan said Ireland has paid particular attention to the region. Irish Aid has contributed €10.9 million and this is expected to reach €20m by the end of next year.
Per capita Ireland is one of the most committed and generous donors.
Irish funding has gone to agencies including Trócaire, the Red Cross, Goal, Oxfam, and various UN bodies.
Total EU assistance this year so far is about €760m, which is about a third of the total support to the region.
Ethiopia and Kenya have suffered the same drought as Somalia but have been less affected because of the longer-term development programmes put in place over the past few years.
The EU has been running a pilot programme in Ethiopia with greater cooperation between all donor countries working with the Ethiopian government.
O’Sullivan will represent Ireland at a conference in Busan, South Korea on aid effectiveness.
The foreign ministers adopted a strategic framework to guide their engagement in the region at their meeting in Brussels yesterday.
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