[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 361 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 361
Concerning efforts to provide humanitarian relief to mitigate the
effects of drought and avert famine in the Horn of Africa, particularly
Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 20, 2011
Mr. Payne (for himself, Mr. Carnahan, Ms. Lee of California, and Ms.
Bass of California) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Concerning efforts to provide humanitarian relief to mitigate the
effects of drought and avert famine in the Horn of Africa, particularly
Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya.
Whereas the humanitarian conditions in the Horn of Africa are extremely close to
a famine and currently more than 11,500,000 residents of Somalia,
Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya are in need of emergency assistance;
Whereas the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) is reporting that the
current drought plaguing the Horn of Africa is considered to be the
worst in the region since the 1950s;
Whereas a famine exists when three conditions occur, households lack resource to
meet basic food requirements, when Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates
exceed 30 percent, and when the crude mortality rate (CMR) is equal to
or above 5 people per 10,000 people per day;
Whereas two or more of these criteria are already occurring in some areas of the
Horn of Africa, particularly in parts of Somalia, where the threat of
famine is compounded by drought, food shortage, civil war, and little
government capacity for food distribution system;
Whereas acute malnutrition rates in northern and eastern Kenya and central and
southern Somalia are the highest seen since 2003, and GAM rates among
Somali refugees arriving in Ethiopia have reached 47 percent;
Whereas UNICEF estimates that more than 2,000,000 young children are
malnourished in drought-affected regions, and half a million children
face imminent life-threatening conditions, without immediate treatment,
these children may suffer physical and mental disabilities for the rest
of their lives, if they survive at all;
Whereas the drought and famine-like conditions that affect the Horn of Africa
have been brought on by successive seasons of low rainfall, crop
failure, rising food prices, and livestock mortality;
Whereas in 2011, high crop failure and low rainfall have resulted in estimates
that Somalia's domestic food production will provide for only 20 percent
of Somalia's domestic consumption;
Whereas between January and April 2011, food prices increased by more than 25
percent in Kenya, resulting in reduced access to food staples such as
maize and beans;
Whereas as of May 2011, cereal prices in Ethiopia had increased by an average of
27.5 percent compared to May 2010 prices, with maize prices in Somali
Region increasing by up to 117 percent;
Whereas as of July 2011, livestock mortality rates had reached 40 to 60 percent
above normal rates in some areas of Ethiopia due to depleted grazing and
water resources;
Whereas these conditions have been exacerbated by the current conflict in
southern and central Somalia, and the very limited access given to
humanitarian organizations to help the people of those regions in
Somalia;
Whereas the current drought conditions, resulting in the lack of food, are
creating a large refugee problem, which according to the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has approximately 1,300 Somalis
arriving at the Dadaab refugee complex in northern Kenya daily, and
almost 2,000 Somalis arriving at the Dolo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia
weekly;
Whereas to date, UNHCR estimates that 405,068 Somali refugees are already
present in Kenya, and 123,562 Somali refugees are in Ethiopia;
Whereas half of new Somali refugees arriving in Ethiopia and one-third arriving
in Kenya are severely malnourished;
Whereas this large movement of Somali refugees adds additional strain to
neighboring countries also experiencing drought conditions;
Whereas control over the southern and central regions of Somalia by al Shabaab
and other militia groups, as well as internal violent conflict and
lawlessness, has continued to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the
region;
Whereas, on July 6, 2011, USAID activated a regional Disaster Assistance
Response Team (DART) in Nairobi, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to
monitor regional drought conditions and coordinate response activities
with other donors; and
Whereas in order to achieve the goals of ensuring food security, preventing
famine, and lessening the humanitarian crisis, nations residing in the
Horn of Africa, and more generally Africa as a continent, must be
knowledgeable and effective regarding the sustainable use of natural
resources: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) commends the Administration for providing over
$366,000,000 to date in response to the drought and famine-like
conditions in the Horn of Africa;
(2) commends the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) for providing $57,000,000 for the creation
of a 5-year program in the accessible Galmuduug, Puntland, and
Somaliland regions of Somalia in order to mitigate conflict,
promote stability and community cohesion, and strengthen the
relationships between citizens and government;
(3) calls on the United States Government to continue to
commit the necessary resources to provide humanitarian support
and nutritional relief to the Horn of Africa region, as well as
continue to provide long-term development assistance through
the President's Feed the Future Initiative, which is working in
the region to address the root causes of hunger and
undernutrition and increase resilience among vulnerable
populations;
(4) strongly encourages international humanitarian
organizations to continue to provide food and humanitarian
assistance to the regions in need, mindful of the need for the
safety and security of relief workers;
(5) calls on the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia
(TFG) and other local Somali authorities to make additional
effort in order to provide support and humanitarian relief to
the people of Somalia;
(6) calls on all parties to allow the unrestricted access
of humanitarian aid agencies to all persons who are affected by
drought and supports international efforts to facilitate the
timely delivery of assistance to those areas;
(7) calls on the United States Government and the
international community to remain focused on those most
vulnerable to the current drought and famine-like conditions,
especially women and children;
(8) encourages increased water conservation, water quality
enhancement, and more efficient use of water resources in the
region;
(9) reaffirms the United States commitment to promoting the
safety, health, and well-being of the millions of refugees
around the world, as stated in H. Res. 1350, the World Refugee
Day Resolution, and specifically those in the Horn of Africa
during and after the drought; and
(10) calls on the United States Government and the
international community, including international and local
nongovernmental organizations to continue aid and development
activities in the Horn of Africa, in order to alleviate poverty
and hunger in the region.
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