Virtual briefing on the drought in the Horn of Africa

 

Remarks delivered from the floor during virtual briefing on the drought in the Horn of Africa

Statement by FAO, delivered by

Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York, QU Guangzhou

 

Thank you, Martin.

The Horn of Africa is experiencing its third consecutive season of drought, driven by La Niña. 

This poses a very present threat for a large-scale hunger crisis, especially if the region’s food-producing rural communities do not receive the assistance they need for the upcoming agricultural seasons.  

Even before the current drought, this is a region that was already prone to food insecurity associated with climate extremes, natural resource limitations, protracted conflict, the ripple effects of COVID-19, and a desert locust upsurge.

Coping capacities have been stretched too thin. 

Without urgent assistance, millions will struggle to access enough food; they will be forced to sell their assets, watch their livestock die, or abandon their livelihoods altogether. Malnutrition levels will also soar 

If we fail to act now, 12 to 14 million people are projected to face high acute food insecurity by the middle of 2022 across the three hardest-hit countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

But even in times of drought, with the right support, food production can continue.

FAO’s new Horn of Africa Drought Response Plan calls for USD 138 million overall to help rural communities withstand the many impacts of drought on agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and food security during 2022. 

These cost-effective interventions – if adequately funded and implemented at scale – will yield real dividends that can push back against the rising tide of acute food insecurity and hunger. 

Time is running out. We have 6 to 7 months to avert a hunger catastrophe, and the scale of need is immense.

Protecting the livelihoods of farmers, pastoralists, and agro-pastoralists, who represent the majority of those at risk of acute hunger, is a foremost priority.

To do so, our response must treat agriculture as central to the survival of those drought-affected communities.

I thank you, Excellencies.