Africa must act for Africans in the Horn of Africa

Once again, millions of African citizens face famine and the destruction of their livelihoods. At this moment, 12 million men, women and children are in dire need of food, clean water and basic sanitation. The crisis is set to worsen and expand over the coming months. This suffering flies in the face of commitments made in continental, regional and national policy frameworks and human rights conventions.

The crisis is symptomatic of a failure to address the root causes of food insecurity in the region, which mean that in a world with enough food for everyone 12 million people are suffering the worst food crisis in Africa for many years. It is incomprehensible that in 2011 anyone should die of starvation. This was a preventable catastrophe. It is an extreme example of our broken food system. Droughts may be inevitable in this region, but disasters are not.

Despite this, the overall international donor response to this humanitarian crisis has been slow and inadequate. A handful of African Governments and the African Union have contributed both finance and food to the UN humanitarian effort to date. Citizens in South Africa and Kenya have rallied to make contributions. However collectively, these contributions are too modest to decisively change the conditions for the millions who need this support. The rest of Africa has yet to make a meaningful contribution. According to UN figures released on 29th July, $2.5bn is required to meet immediate needs and $1.3 billion is still required.

Based on an already agreed formula for contributions to the African Union, Governments in Africa must contribute at least US$50 million towards the AU Humanitarian Disaster Fund to provide global leadership. West African states and Southern African states meeting separately this month under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should realise US$ 11.5 million and US$ 11 million respectively towards the humanitarian appeal.

Today marks the African Union declared August 15th a Pan African day of solidarity with the people of the Horn of Africa. Ten days later on August 25th, the African Union is convening an emergency International Pledging Conference to mobilise the resources required. A series of national and regional actions is required to ensure that this conference is successful in making a contribution to the funding shortfall and identifies the medium to long-term policy actions required.

The scale of the challenge before Africa today elevates the August 25th Conference to the significance of the All African Peoples conference of December 1958 where African states and nationalist movements rallied together to confront colonialism and imperialism. African Governments, Multi-Lateral Institutions and citizens must similarly rally together today to confront the suffering being experienced. Africa is not safe if the people of the Horn of Africa are not safe.

The humanitarian response is essential so that lives are saved now. However, African Governments and the international community urgently need to break the chronic cycle of food insecurity, which leaves affected communities limping from one crisis to the next, by addressing the long-term problems that make people vulnerable in the first place. This policy brief and call to action is endorsed by twelve Pan African networks and coalitions, Regional NGO Councils from West, Southern and East Africa and non-governmental organisations. It outlines opportunities and actions needed before the International Pledging Conference takes place on August 25th 2011.

The month of August will be decisive for millions of lives and livelihoods in the Horn. Delayed action will cost lives and betray the vision, spirit and agreement reached under the auspices of the African Union. Every time an African citizen dies in the Horn of Africa, the African Union and the international community dies a little. Every life that is saved extends the value of pan African solidarity and the principle of “non-indifference”. The difference between these two situations` lies in the actions that the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, African governments and citizens must now take.

ACTIONS REQUIRED BY THE AFRICAN UNION

· The African Union Commission should encourage all African Governments to publicly announce their financial contributions and moral support for the people of the Horn of Africa and efforts being taken to save lives, livelihoods and ensure that never again African men, women and children die from famine.
· The African Union Commission should reach out to all international partners, including Organisational of Islamic Conference, the Arab League and Intergovernmental Authority on Drought, to support the August 25th International Pledging Conference that is able to generate the collective will to respond to this humanitarian disaster of political proportions.
· The AU Commission should place an item on the 2012 January Summit to review progress of fundraising, success of the humanitarian effort and a proposal to ensure that this is the last avoidable disaster of this kind.
· The AU Commission and African Governments should consider the creation of a standing fund for humanitarian response, with predictable and adequate sources of financing in the upcoming Conference on Alternative Financing for the African Union convened under the auspices of H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo on August 15th
· The African Union should reach out to African civil society for their support in raising public awareness of the conditions in the Horn of Africa across Africa and call on all AU Member States to provide generous contributions – financial or other – to uphold the African solidarity.
· The Peace and Security Council must maintain strong oversight over AMISOM response in Somalia to ensure that military actors are indeed the last resort and that their involvement does not jeopardise the humanitarian effort and access to people in need.

ACTIONS REQUIRED BY THE REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES

· SADC, ECOWAS, CENSAD, EAC and other Regional Economic Communities must make financial contributions at their upcoming meetings and encourage national Governments to significantly contribute.
· In these upcoming Summits, RECs must agree to prioritise the acceleration of disaster risk reduction and disaster response mechanisms, contingency plans and country agricultural investment plans, with the financial and technical backing of the international community.

Actions Required by the African National Governments

· All African Governments must commit funding and appeal to their citizens and the private sector to contribute generously to the AU Humanitarian Fund on August 25th
· All Governments must make long-term investment in agriculture and natural resource management to support small scale food producers (farmers and pastoralists) to boost food production, rebuild depleted resource bases and ensure food availability to those who need it. An accelerated plan for food security is critical.

Actions Required by African citizens and Civil Society Organisations

· African citizens and Civil Society organisations must challenge their Governments and the Private Sector to give generously and use the AU Fund or the UN Consolidated Appeal Process framework to avoid parallel funding streams
· African citizens and all CSOs across Africa must use the AU August 15th Day of Pan African solidarity with the people of the Horn to raise public awareness, mobilise funding for the relief efforts and engage their Governments on their responsibility to act

Actions you can take between August 15 and August 25

1. Record and upload on utube a short video 12 seconds for 12 million Africans (not more than 12 seconds). Send the link to [email protected] We will edit it and upload it on our AfricansAct4Africa YouTube page. Suggested short video messaging:

a. Nobody should die from hunger - not now, not in the 21st century. Stand up. Act for Africa.
b. I am … (your name)...and I call on Africans to Act for Africa.
c. Our leaders need to come on board and offer African solutions to African problems. I am an African Acting for Africa.
d. I call on my government to reach out and take care of my brothers and sisters. I call on my government to Act for Africa.
e. Join the campaign. Sign onto the Africans Act 4 Africa facebook page and follow us on twitter at @africansact.
f. Launch a Twitter campaign addressed to prominent political and business leaders linking Africans Act 4 Africa facebook page. The twitter campaign can be aimed at urging your Government to make significant contributions to the relief effort.

2. Call on African leaders and governments to make sure this never happens again by ensuring the right environment for Africans is provided to increase their food production, storage and transport – so we all have the food we all need not.

3. Challenge the private sector in your country to donate particularly multinationals with Pan African operations e.g.: tele-communication companies, petroleum companies, media, retail outlets etc.

4. Visit the African Union page and learn more about the conference that will be held on 25 August http://au.int/pages/savinglives Activities from August 15 onwards – The Day of Pan African Solidarity with the People of the Horn

5. Africa Stops in Solidarity! Ask everyone to in your office, place of learning, worship and community to stop what they are doing and observe a moment of silence for 1 minute 2 sec at 12noon.

6. 12 hours of giving for 12 million people – push for action to have people send money to existing funding channels, from 7am – 7pm.

7. Tell all your colleagues and friends about the Pan African Day in Solidarity with the People of the Horn of Africa, and tell them to Act for Africa.

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