Brussels, 25/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 25 June, the European Commission announced it would grant a further €414 million to support people affected by food crises due to the El Nino climate phenomenon.
“This new proposed funding aims at combining short-term lifesaving support with strengthening long-term resilience to food crises by addressing the root causes of fragility and vulnerability”, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica stated. Mimica took part in a conference in Brussels the same day on “Innovative Ways for Sustainable Nutrition, Food Security and Inclusive Agricultural Growth”, during which he gave an initial analysis of the action plan for nutrition.
This new funding is in addition to the €125 million mobilised at the end of 2015. It requires new proposals from the Commission and must be approved by the member states.
Half of the 80 million people facing food crisis live in regions affected by El Nino (Latin America and the Caribbean, Southern, Central and Eastern Africa, and a few Asian and Pacific countries). In early April, the Commission mobilised €122.5 million for Ethiopia in order to respond to the immediate needs of the victims of the worsening humanitarian situation (see EUROPE 11528). In Southern Africa, several countries have declared a state of emergency due to the food insecurity resulting from the drought which is caused by El Nino. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)