Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2015
490. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of the report from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, on the serious drought in Ethiopia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40420/15]
View answerIreland has had a long-standing engagement with Ethiopia, one of our seven Key Partner Countries in sub-Saharan African. This year alone we have provided over €26 million through our bilateral aid programme to address poverty, vulnerability and hunger in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in almost 30 years, as highlighted by the report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It is estimated that up to 15 million people will need support in early 2016, when the worst impact of the drought will be felt. 40,000 people have already abandoned their land and 200,000 livestock have perished. The cost of food has increased by as much as 73% in some areas and severe water shortages are resulting in women and girls travelling up to 30 km per day to reach the nearest water source.
Droughts are unfortunately not new to Ethiopia. The Government of Ethiopia has demonstrated leadership in putting in place long term programmes which help farmers and rural families cope with the short term consequences of sudden climate shocks. Ireland has been an important supporter of this approach, providing €10.4 million this year to the Productive Safety Nets Programme, which will support up to 8 million of those affected by the drought.
The Government of Ethiopia is responding to the current severe crisis with an additional allocation of US$192 million this year for food aid, water, transport, animal feed and other assistance. Given the scale of the crisis, the Government has also requested humanitarian support from the international community, including Ireland.
In response, Ireland has provided €3.5 million to support UN OCHA and our NGO partners – Trócaire, Goal and Concern – to address the immediate humanitarian needs as a result of the drought. Our Embassy in Addis Ababa has also taken a leading role, on behalf all development partners, in dialogue with the Ethiopian Government. We have advocated for a greater response across the donor system and Embassy officials have met with the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture to progress the joint response to the humanitarian situation.
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most vibrant economies. Timely intervention now will help ensure its economic growth and protect development gains. We will continue to closely monitor the situation as it unfolds and ensure that Ireland’s assistance in 2016 continues to be well-targeted and responsive to the humanitarian needs on the ground.
