Donors Conf. for Somalia kicks off in London

LONDON, March 6 (KUNA) -- Co-hosted by British Department for International Development (DFID), the Federal Republic of Somalia and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a global donors conference kicked off Tuesday in London.
British International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt is due to tell an audience that while swift action last year saved thousands of lives and held-off famine in Somalia, "the job is not yet done".
Mordaunt will also praise the efforts of the international community in 2017, but call for continued global support for the 5.4 million people in need living in Somalia.
Six years ago Somalia was ravaged by a deadly famine which killed 260,000 people - half of those who died were children.
With extreme weathers and an unprecedented fourth consecutive year of poor rain forecast for the country, Mordaunt will also deliver the stark warning that half the population is still hungry and at risk of disease - and will call on global partners to generate innovative ideas for building long-term resilience to drought.
Mordaunt is set to announce a further emergency package to get urgently needed medical, nutritional, health and livelihood support to the country, including to 54,000 children who will be treated for Severe Acute Malnutrition.
The package will be distributed before the end of March 2018, to ensure urgent delivery of these life-saving services.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said last year, more than USD 90 million from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Somalia Humanitarian Fund were released to mitigate against the worsening food security situation in Somalia.
In total Britain will donate 24.6 million POUND funding package which will be allocated as follows and will be spent before the end of March 2018, to ensure urgent delivery: 54,000 children will be treated for severe acute malnutrition, 157,480 people will receive emergency water and sanitation, 400,000 people will be treated by emergency health services, including cholera prevention, measles vaccination and life-saving primary health care services, 212,315 children and 53,333 pregnant and nursing mothers will receive treatment for moderate acute malnutrition, multi-purpose cash transfers will be collected by 676,920 people, and 9,850 households will be able to support a harvest thanks to agricultural and pastoral livelihood support packages, including delivery of 300 water bladders and 500,000 animals in 25,000 households.
This Pound 24.6 million package from the British Crisis Reserve Fund will be delivered through The United Nations World Food Programme, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
With today's package it brings the total UK contribution to the 2018 Humanitarian Response to POUND 85.65 million. (end) mrn.mb