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Catholic Entity Welcomes Budget Increase in Response to the Horn of Africa Hunger Crisis

Trócaire has run the health services in the Gedo region of Somalia for over 30 years. Irish Aid funding has been crucial to the development of this programme. Credit: Miriam Donohoe/Trócaire

By Silas Isenjia

Mogadishu, 29 September, 2022 / 9:09 pm (ACI Africa).

The leadership of the overseas development agency of the Catholic Bishops of Ireland, Trócaire, has welcomed the budget increase of Irish government’s overseas grant as well as an “additional immediate allocation” for addressing the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa region.

In a Tuesday, September 27 report, Trócaire acknowledges with appreciation “the €177 million (US$18.2 million) increase in Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) and the additional immediate allocation of €30 million (US$32.2 million) in response to the extreme hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa announced in today’s Budget."

“We welcome the increase which brings the total in overseas development assistance to €1.22 billion,” the report quotes Trócaire Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Caoimhe de Barra, as saying in reference to upward ODA budget adjustment that Ireland's Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, announced September 27.

“Investment in global humanitarian and development needs is vital,” Ms. De Barra says.

She explains, “Countries in the Global South face escalating humanitarian crises due to climate change, the economic impact of Covid – 19, conflict, gender inequality, unsustainable and inequitable global food systems, and the failure of international community to live up to their commitments on overseas aid.”

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The CEO of Trócaire highlights the challenges the people of God in Eastern Africa region are facing.

She says, “Across the Horn of Africa, millions of people are affected by severe drought and suffering massive displacement due to four failed consecutive rainy seasons which have resulted in a million and a half people already forced to leave their homes.”

Ms. de Barra continues, “The number of people experiencing severe hunger around the world has tripled since 2019 and the fact that people are dying of hunger in 2022 is an unacceptable political failure.”

She calls on relevant international community entities to live up to their commitments on overseas aid, saying, “There is still a significant way to go before the government meets its commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on ODA by 2030, and its UN obligations to provide its fair share of Climate Finance.”

“It is crucial that Ireland’s UN obligations to climate finance are met outside of its existing commitments to ODA, which commits donor countries to providing new and additional financial resources for addressing climate change,” the Trócaire CEO is quoted as saying in the September 27 report, and adds, “Ireland needs to significantly scale up climate finance allocations to meet the growing needs.”

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“We need an urgent increase in humanitarian assistance and long-term funding to local organizations at the forefront of the response, including women-led organizations that are best positioned to respond to hunger and human rights issues in their communities,” Ms. de Barra further adds. 

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.

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