Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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636. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the supports his Department is giving to assist local populations in drought regions of Somalia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19962/17]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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We are deeply concerned about the severe drought conditions in many parts of Somalia, as a result of poor and erratic rains over the last two years. The impact includes large-scale displacement in the worst affected areas, with almost 600,000 people forced to flee their homes over the last six month period alone.

Over 6 million people in Somalia are now in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Almost 3 million people are facing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity. There is a significant risk that the situation will deteriorate further, resulting in famine.

There are worrying similarities to the conditions that led to the appalling famine of in 2011, when some 250,000 lives were lost. The UN has warned that a massive and urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance by the international community is required to avoid a catastrophe.

International donors, including Ireland, have moved quickly to support the scale-up of response by NGO and UN agencies throughout the country. Over US$500 million has been made available for humanitarian assistance since January this year. Ireland, through the Irish Aid programme managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has provided over €31 million in humanitarian assistance to UN and NGO partners on the ground since 2012. This includes €3.9 million so far this year. A further package of assistance to our NGO partners’ emergency operations in Somalia is planned. Our support is focused on saving lives and alleviating the suffering of the Somali people, providing emergency food assistance, treating acute malnutrition, providing shelter and providing emergency services in health care and water and sanitation for those most affected.

Last month, under Ireland’s Rapid Response Initiative, Irish Aid airlifted over 100 tonnes of emergency relief supplies, including blankets, shelter items and cooking sets, and these supplies are now being distributed by Concern Worldwide to families displaced by drought to informal settlements.

Together with our EU and UN partners, we will continue to monitor this crisis closely and to provide significant life-saving humanitarian assistance for those most in need.