[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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