Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will discuss with (a) EU partners and (b) the World Food Programme to ensure food supplies to people affected by the famine in Ethiopia.

Grant Shapps

We are extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has shown great strides in development but remains fragile in the face of extreme climate events such as El Nino. The Government of Ethiopia is fully engaged and prioritising efforts to address the needs, having spent many years building up crisis response systems. The international community is working in support of the Government and the UK along with the EU, is one of the leading donors to the response. We are in daily contact with the World Food Programme (WFP) which is delivering supplies to people affected in support of the Government. A joint Government-UN assessment has just taken place and we are also assessing that food supplies reach those affected. We have also recently provided additional funding to WFP’s relief programme.

DFID’s Permanent Secretary Mark Lowcock visited Ethiopia from 9-12 November, and discussed the situation with senior members of the Ethiopian Government and partners. We are urging others to do more to support the Government response to the crisis.