Yesterday was World Humanitarian Day.
Geographically and geopolitically Ethiopia lies at the heart of a deeply unstable region, with neighbouring Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea all engaged in conflicts. Enjoying comparative peace for some time now, it has been hosting refugees since the 1990s. But recent times have seen a dramatic rise in the numbers: in 2011, there were eight refugee camps and 90,000 refugees; today UNHCR says Ethiopia hosts 665,000 refugees in 23 camps, making her Africa’s largest refugee host. The South Sudanese make up the largest number of refugees in Ethiopia at 253,030, followed by Somalis (245,326), Eritreans (126,363), Sudanese (35,870) and other nationalities (5,300).
Ethiopia has of course had to deal with its own humanitarian crises in the past. Most widely known is that of 1984, an appalling humanitarian disaster in which some 400,000 people lost their lives to starvation and hunger-related diseases. The seriousness of the situation was little known until a famous BBC report recording the devastation informed the world about what was going on, and about the way in which the regime at the time was ignoring the horror – after which humanitarian assistance started trickling in. 31 years later Ethiopia stands transformed and better able to cope with increasingly variable rains. But the difficulties we are hearing about in Afar at this time are a reminder that climate change will continue to pose grave challenges to the country’s food security.
This week saw some progress towards peace in South Sudan, with an agreement being signed in Addis by all but President Kiir. This is something we have been working very closely with Ethiopia on, given the central role they have played (as Chair of IGAD) in hosting the negotiations and trying to bring the two sides together. Like Ethiopia, we have been doing our bit to try and help those so terribly affected by the fighting. The #UK has been providing humanitarian aid to the refugees since the outset of fighting. We recently committed an additional £16.4 million. £7.4 million of this will be given to #UNHCR and #WFP to assist work in Ethiopia. This new funding brings our support for refugees that have fled South Sudan to over £58 million since December 2013 – as well as £130 million we are spending on the 1.4 million people who have been displaced from their homes but remain in the country. Overall, we have been able to provide more than 100,000 people with food; more than 400,000 people with livelihoods support; and more than 170,000 people with clean water.
World Humanitarian Day was designated to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 UN staff who were trying to provide humanitarian assistance in that country. It is a time to remember those who often face very serious dangers in delivering this kind of assistance, but also to remind ourselves of our responsibility as global citizens to continue helping each other in times of need, particularly when vulnerable people are exposed to famine, natural disasters and conflict. I am proud of the commitment that Ethiopia and the UK continue to show to this global responsibility.