Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2015
497. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community remains conscious of impending starvation in Ethiopia arising from drought or other contributory factors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45677/15]
View answerEthiopia is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in almost 30 years. Official Ethiopian Government figures indicate that 10.2 million people will require food assistance in early 2016. This is in addition to the 7.9 million people receiving food and cash transfers as part of the Government’s Productive Safety Net Programme.
The Ethiopian Government is leading the response to the current humanitarian crisis. It has provided US$200 million in emergency support in 2015 and a further allocation of $97 million has been committed to support food distribution in early 2016. However, given the scale and severity of the crisis, the Ethiopian Government has also requested assistance from the international community, including Ireland.
Our Embassy in Addis Ababa has taken a leading role, on behalf of all development partners, in dialogue with the Ethiopian Government and in advocating for a greater response from the international community. Embassy officials have met with the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture to promote the joint response by the Government and international community to the crisis.
Ireland has a long-standing engagement with Ethiopia, one of our seven Key Partner Countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This year alone, we have increased our bilateral programme in Ethiopia to nearly €28 million to address poverty, vulnerability and the impact of the current humanitarian crisis.
Through our bilateral programme in 2015, we have provided €10.4 million to the Productive Safety Net Programme, as well as €3.8 million to the Humanitarian Response Fund managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to address immediate humanitarian needs. A further €1.8 million in humanitarian assistance has been provided through NGO partners Trócaire, GOAL and Concern.
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 monitor the situation as it unfolds. In 2016, we anticipate that over 50% of Ireland’s bilateral programme in Ethiopia will continue to be targeted at meeting the humanitarian needs of those affected by the crisis.
