[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 114 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 114

 Expressing the sense of the Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria, 
                    Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2017

    Mr. Young (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria, 
                    Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.

Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in famine, pre-famine, 
        or ``at risk of famine'' stages in 2017;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of 
        Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 20,000,000 people are at risk of 
        starvation within the next six months in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, 
        and Yemen;
Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-General of the 
        International Committee of the Red Cross, testified that the crisis 
        represents ``one of the most critical humanitarian issues to face 
        mankind since the end of the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are 
        at the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in recent 
        history'';
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development 
        (USAID), ``More than 5.1 million people face severe food insecurity in 
        northeastern Nigeria'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million people--more than half 
        of Somalia's total population--currently require urgent humanitarian 
        assistance.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million people--nearly half of 
        South Sudan's population--will face life threatening hunger by July.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than seventeen million people--an 
        astounding 60% of the country's population--are food insecure, including 
        seven million people who are unable to survive without food 
        assistance.'';
Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), ``Some 22 
        million children have been left hungry, sick, displaced and out of 
        school in the four countries. Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of 
        death this year from severe malnutrition.'';
Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions are, to varying 
        degrees, man-made and preventable--exacerbated by armed conflict, 
        disregard for international humanitarian law, and deliberate 
        restrictions on humanitarian access;
Whereas parties to the conflicts have harassed, attacked, and killed 
        humanitarian workers, blocking and hindering humanitarian access and 
        depriving the world's most hungry people of the food they need;
Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by UNOCHA, are appealing for 
        $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in Yemen, South Sudan, 
        Nigeria, and Somalia, $4,400,000,000 of which is required urgently; and
Whereas Mr. Daccord testified on March 22, 2017, ``Our message is clear: 
        immediate, decisive action is needed to prevent vast numbers of people 
        starving to death.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) it is the sense of the Senate that--
                    (A) United States national security interests and 
                the values of the American people demand that the 
                United States lead an urgent and comprehensive 
                international diplomatic effort to address obstacles in 
                Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen that are 
                preventing humanitarian aid from being delivered to 
                millions of people who desperately need it;
                    (B) the President should encourage other 
                governments to join the United States in providing the 
                resources necessary to meet the $5,600,000,000 UNOCHA 
                appeal to address the humanitarian crises in Nigeria, 
                Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
                    (C) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, 
                South Sudan, and Yemen must respect fully international 
                humanitarian law by allowing and facilitating rapid and 
                unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians 
                in need and respecting and protecting humanitarian and 
                medical relief personnel and objects; and
                    (D) the President, working with international 
                partners, should work to identify and document 
                violations of international humanitarian law in 
                Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen seeking to 
                bring perpetrators to justice where possible; and
            (2) the Senate--
                    (A) urges the President, in close coordination with 
                international partners, to employ every appropriate 
                strategy to persuade the Government of South Sudan to 
                stop blocking aid for people who desperately need it;
                    (B) calls on the President to notify Congress 
                without delay if the Government of South Sudan does not 
                immediately and fully respect international 
                humanitarian law so that Congress can work with the 
                President to impose additional costs on the government 
                and leaders of South Sudan for their deplorable 
                actions;
                    (C) urges the President to press the Government of 
                Nigeria to take tangible and immediate steps to ensure 
                accountability for security forces that violate human 
                rights and fail to cooperate fully with international 
                aid efforts;
                    (D) calls on the President to send the Secretary of 
                State or other high level representative to attend the 
                upcoming United Kingdom's Ministerial Conference on 
                Somalia and publicly announce a contribution to the 
                humanitarian assistance efforts which will help 
                leverage other international donors; and
                    (E) urges the President to work urgently with 
                stakeholders to persuade parties to conflict in Yemen 
                to permit humanitarian groups increased access to Red 
                Sea ports like Hodeida to deliver much-needed 
                assistance to vulnerable communities.
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