Pledges made at East Africa Pledging Conference “dismally inadequate”

In response to the pledges made at the High-Level Pledging event to support the Humanitarian Response in the Horn of Africa in New York, Fati N’Zi Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director said:  

“Oxfam is deeply disappointed by today’s donors’ dismally inadequate pledges to East Africa’s crisis; a protracted crisis which continues to be woefully underfunded. Donors pledged just a fraction of the total needed $7 billion – and most of those pledges ($ 2.4 billion) announced today were hardly new.   

“This was a vital moment for rich donors to step up and show their commitment to saving lives. They have failed millions of people caught up in this vicious spiral of hunger, displacement and insecurity.  

“One person is likely to die of hunger every 28 seconds between now and July across Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan alone- the highest on record. To wait for a fully declared famine before donors act decisively is both complicit and immoral. 

“The needed funds are a lifeline for millions of people struggling with hunger, skyrocketing inflation and poverty. But insufficient funding means impossible choices will have to be made that will leave out millions in urgent need.  

“We cannot continue drip-feeding aid to keep the worst of the crisis at bay while each day millions are being pushed further to starvation. The failure to act decisively now is perpetuating a deadly cycle of hunger and destitution. 

“What East Africa urgently needs is a drastic global collective effort not only to save lives now but to scale up programmes that help people become more resilient to shocks like climate change and food price inflation.”