Ireland 'at the forefront of African aid efforts': Lenihan

Ireland is at the forefront of international efforts to respond to the food crisis in Africa, a Minister of State said today.

Conor Lenihan, a Minister of State for Development Co-operation and Human Rights, said the country had responded to the Horn of African humanitarian crisis developing over recent weeks and months with a multi-million euro aid package.

Aid workers have been warning hunger is facing millions of people in the south, east and west of the continent.

“Ireland is at the forefront of international efforts to both respond swiftly to humanitarian needs, but also to find lasting solutions to these types of crises, particularly in Africa,” Mr Lenihan said. “I reiterate that it is unacceptable in this day and age for the scenes we have witnessed on our televisions to be occurring in Africa.”

Statistics from the World Food Programme show around 36 of the 50 countries in Africa are currently affected by drought or on the brink of it, with 43 million people already experiencing severe food shortages.

Last month, the Government gave €5m in direct support to the affected regions through the Irish NGOs, UN Agencies and the International Red Cross.

The Government last week approved funding of €19m to the UN Consolidated Appeals for 10 humanitarian projects in Africa, including assistance towards clean water, sanitation, food aid and basic shelter.

“What we are seeing in these situations is the impact of climactic phenomena like drought, desertification, and flooding combining with the impact of HIV/AIDS on the productive capacity and livelihoods of individuals across huge swathes of sub-Saharan Africa as well as the effects of conflict in a number of countries.

"These underlying, multiple threats to survival combine to challenge the ability of poor communities to withstand even small changes in their environment like inadequate rainy seasons,” he said.

“These crises are proliferating and their crises are complex.”

Several partner organisations are also working to assist communities to develop preventative strategies against food shortages with the aid of a €7.5m Government donation.

Mr Lenihan said the growing food crises affecting many regions in Africa must be tackled in a collaborative way by the international community as a whole.

“It is simply not acceptable in the 21st century that so many of the world’s poor face such acute vulnerability and threats to survival,” he said.

Mr Lenihan said the Government has already approved a €10m donation to the UN’s new Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

“One of the main objectives of the CERF is to save lives by providing immediate funding for initial life-saving assistance during the early days of an emergency,” Mr Lenihan said.

The UN body will provide organisations with a pool of funding which will be available immediately at the onset of an emergency.