UN Raises Less Than $1 Billion in Humanitarian Aid for the Horn of Africa

UN conference raises less than $1 billion in humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa, falls short of $5 billion target
The United States pledged an additional $524 million to address the crisis in the region
Germany pledged $226 million, and the United Kingdom pledged $119 million for Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya

The United Nations has raised less than $1 billion in humanitarian aid meant to help address the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, falling short of its $5 billion target.

On Wednesday, the United States announced during the UN conference that it was donating an additional $524 million in humanitarian aid for the region. This seeks to highlight the extreme effects of climate change and what is considered the worst drought the region has experienced in the last four decades.

UN Falls Short of Target Humanitarian Aid for the Horn of Africa

At the beginning of the conference, Germany pledged $226 million, and the United Kingdom pledged $119 million for Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The United Nations has called for the need of $7 billion and has just received $1.6 billion. Officials argue that it is not enough to help the 43.3 million people suffering in the region, as per PBS News Hour.

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told would-be donors that they need to make an immediate and major injection of funds to prevent the crisis in the Horn of Africa. He argued that this would be crucial in preventing the crisis brought about by drought, mass displacement, and skyrocketing food prices.

The US is known to be the largest provider of humanitarian aid to the region, and the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that the newly-pledged $524 million would bring the total funds that the American government has given to the region to $1.4 billion for the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30.

On the other hand, Germany's UN ambassador Antje Leendertse said that the $226 million they pledged for the three countries in the region does not include substantial funding for "development and stabilization" in the Horn of Africa.

Additional Funds for Drought-Stricken Region

This year, the UN appealed for $7 billion to provide food and other humanitarian aid for Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. But so far, they have only received less than $2 billion. According to the Associated Press, after pledges were tallied, the UN humanitarian office said that the total 2023 funding was only $2.4 billion.

The tally means that only $800 million was pledged in additional funding during the Wednesday conference, more than 60% of which the United States government pledged. During the conference, Guterres said that the people in the Horn of Africa are paying an "unconscionable price" for the climate crisis they did not cause.

The United States pledged new funding will enable USAID partners to give the region emergency food, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance. The American government said it acted early and aggressively in its response to the drought in the Horn of Africa, said USAID.