Finland gives 5 million euros in humanitarian aid to Horn of Africa drought victims
Press release 190/2011
1 August 2011
Under a decision issued by Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has pledged to deliver humanitarian aid worth 5 million euros to the victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa region. Three million of this will be channelled via the United Nations World Food Programme, 1.1 million via the Finnish Red Cross and 900,000 euros through Finn Church Aid.
The Horn of Africa countries are facing the severest drought in decades. UN estimates are that 12.4 million people are in urgent need of emergency assistance. During the past two weeks alone the number of people in need of help has increased by more than 1.6 million.
The situation has reached famine conditions in several parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. Refugee flows have grown sharply because of the drought, and in Kenya the number of refugees is now over 500,000. The Somalian capital of Mogadishu has seen the arrival of 100,000 new internal refugees.
During the remainder of 2011 the UN World Food Programme will provide assistance to more than 11 million people in the Horn of Africa. This aid will be targeted to the most vulnerable groups. The United Nations will intensify its efforts to make sure the assistance reaches those in need in Somalia.
The aid channelled via the Finnish Red Cross will go to Somalia through the ICRC aid programme (600,000 euros) and to Kenya through the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement (500,000 euros). Finn Church Aid is running its own assistance programmes together with its partners in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
In the first part of the year the Ministry for Foreign Affairs granted 8.8 million euros in humanitarian aid to Horn of Africa countries. The latest pledge for assistance brings this year’s figure to 13.8 million euros.
Inquiries: Ulla-Maija Finskas, Head of Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, tel. +358 400 431 921, Inspector Johannes Tarvainen, tel. +358 400 327 829, and Laura Nordström, Special Adviser to Minister Hautala, tel. +358 40 505 9289