Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to assist Ethiopia with famine relief and support in dealing with draught.

James Wharton

Ethiopia is coming out of its worst drought for 30 years. At the peak of the crisis, over 18 million people (approximately 20% of the population) were in need of food assistance.

The UK responded quickly and decisively to the humanitarian crisis and was the second largest bilateral donor. We have provided emergency support for 3.8 million people to date. Through the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP), which boosts household food security for extremely poor and vulnerable people over five years, UK funds are supporting 1.7 million people in 2016. We will continue to provide support over the coming months, including through longer term programming which will help strengthen the Government of Ethiopia’s ability to cope with future climate shocks.