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Skriven 2005-06-07 23:36:04 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0506074) for Tue, 2005 Jun 7
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Statement on Fighting Hunger and Addressing Humanitarian Needs in Africa
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 7, 2005

Statement on Fighting Hunger and Addressing Humanitarian Needs in Africa



The United States and the United Kingdom announced today that they will
meet the remaining food needs and help provide shelter, water, and health
care to millions of people in the Horn of Africa to avert famine, as well
as provide additional resources to humanitarian emergencies throughout
Africa.

This cooperation complements the ongoing work leading up to the G8 Summit
on the longer term challenges of helping Africa to make faster progress
towards the Millennium Goals, and on a comprehensive and sustained program
to support Africa's own efforts. The results of these discussions will be
announced at Gleneagles.

The United States today is announcing that it will provide an additional
$674 million for humanitarian emergencies in Africa this year, in addition
to the approximately $1.4 billion the United States has already committed.
The United Kingdom expects to contribute some $300 million this year in
response to humanitarian needs in Africa, including $50 million for
Ethiopia.

The United Kingdom and the United States call jointly on the rest of the
donor community to commit to working with African nations to address the
remaining urgent humanitarian needs, as well as the underlying causes,
which the UN estimates to have an unfunded need of more than $3.5 billion.

While responding to urgent needs, the U.S. and the UK are taking forward
the G8 initiative launched at Sea Island on "Ending the Cycle of Famine"
which aims to work with the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) and individual countries to improve agricultural productivity.
Under this initiative, the United States and the United Kingdom, together
with other donors, are investing in longer term support to increase food
security in Africa as a whole. For example, both nations support the
Productive Safety Nets Program in Ethiopia to move millions of people from
aid dependence to sustainable livelihoods. The United Kingdom, United
States, and other G-8 members have pledged their support for the
Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Plan, launched last month in
Accra, Ghana.

The United States and the United Kingdom also commit to working with the
United Nations Secretary General to strengthen the international
humanitarian response system.

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