Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 November 2022
441. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he has taken in relation to the potential famine in Somalia in view of Ireland’s seat at the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54749/22]
View answerThe Horn of Africa is facing a rapidly deteriorating food security and nutrition crisis, as a five-season drought devastates the region against the background of accelerating climate shocks, and the impact of conflict.
The situation is particularly severe in Somalia, where 7.8 million people have been affected by the drought, including 301,000 experiencing an extreme lack of food, with evidence of acute malnutrition, starvation and death.
Over the last two years, Ireland has responded with over €78 million in direct humanitarian aid to countries in the Horn of Africa, working with partners on the ground to deliver lifesaving assistance. Of this funding, €13.2 million has been provided directly to respond to humanitarian needs in Somalia. An additional €30 million for Humanitarian Action in the Horn of Africa this year was announced in Budget 2023. Somalia also benefits from contributions by Ireland to pooled funds such as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, which since 2021 has allocated $76 million to the Somalia humanitarian response.
Ireland is a consistent advocate for increased support to Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa at a global level. We recognise that humanitarian funding alone will not be sufficient to address the complex challenges Somalia faces. The conflict with Al-Shabaab in particular continues to undermine peace and security, hinder development, and exacerbate the acute humanitarian situation. At the Security Council Ireland engages on a range of files relating to Somalia from sanctions to the two UN missions in Somalia, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and maritime security. We work to ensure that these international interventions contribute to addressing the underlying drivers of the food crisis and easing humanitarian access.
More broadly, as the focal point on hunger and conflict in the Security Council, Ireland has consistently highlighted the underlying causes of food insecurity and the links between conflict and hunger, together with the impact of climate change. We have organised bi-annual briefings for Council member states with the World Food Programme and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation on food insecurity in conflict affected countries. We have also focused strongly on climate, as co-chair of the Climate and Security informal Expert Group, as convenor of a High-level Open Debate, and through a draft Resolution last year on climate and security. The draft resolution, which was vetoed by Russia, sought to strengthen the Council’s ability to better understand and address climate related security risks within its mandate.
Ireland will continue to act directly to address the consequences and causes of the crises affecting Somalia while also using our voice to galvanise global support internationally, including in the final months of our term on the UN Security Council.
