One Responds to Further Cut In Humanitarian Funding to Hunger Crisis in Horn of Africa

Leaders will gather in New York at the United Nations high level pledging event on the humanitarian response in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The event is seeking to secure scaled-up resources to address the unprecedented humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa. Across East Africa the UN estimates that almost 72 million people require humanitarian aid this year due to a combination of pressures, following five seasons of failed rains, conflict and flooding. 

The UK failed to increase its support, announcing £96 million for countries in the Horn of Africa, in a wider package of £143 million for East Africa. Last year the UK cut its funding for the humanitarian response by 80% (2/3). Today’s announcement cuts UK support even further (4). This comes after ten NGOs, including Oxfam GB, ONE UK, CARE International, CAFOD, and Action Against Hunger UK, wrote to the Prime Minister on Monday urging the government to pledge significant funding in New York.

Lis Wallace, UK Policy & Advocacy Director at The ONE Campaign, said: “This wholly inadequate response exposes the human cost of the government’s decision to reduce its support to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. 

“Failing to increase funding to one of the most devastating humanitarian emergencies happening today, when G7 leaders have just pledged billions of dollars in Japan for security and defence, is both insulting and short sighted. 

“In today’s interconnected world, when we turn a blind eye to the world’s vulnerable, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Instead of turning our backs on this crisis we should be both redoubling our efforts to address it and acting to prevent it happening again.”

Notes to Editors:

1. In 2020 the government cut the budget for overseas aid by 40%, with Africa experiencing some of the worst cuts. Since 2021, more ODA has been diverted away to the Home Office to fund refugee settlement costs in the UK. It is now estimated that a third of overseas aid is being spent within the UK.
2. In 2017, the UK allocated £861 million to respond to the hunger crisis in East Africa. Funding was allocated to: Ethiopia (£323m), Somalia (£245m), South Sudan (£163m), and Kenya (£130m). For more, see DFID’s Annual Report 2017 – 2018, pg.140: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/750989/DFID-Annual-Report-Accounts-2017-18-amended-Oct18.pdf
3. The UK government committed to spend just £156m in the 2022-2023 financial year.
4. At tomorrow’s event the UK will commit £143 million to East Africa for the financial year 2023/2024. The funding includes: £42 million for Ethiopia, £5.8 million for Kenya, £48 million for Somalia, £18.9 million for South Sudan, £21.7 million for Sudan, and £7 million for Uganda.