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Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Cost of Inaction in the Horn of Africa

  • Submitted by: Sarah Boyack, Lothian, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
  • Motion reference: S6M-04482

That the Parliament notes the publication of the report Dangerous Delay 2: The Cost of Inaction by Oxfam and Save the Children, and supported by the Jameel Observatory; notes the view expressed in the report that, despite commitments to learn the lessons from the delayed response to the devastating famine in Somalia in 2011, which killed over a quarter of a million people, world leaders are again acting too late and with too little action, despite clear and credible warnings about the impact of the current drought in the Horn of Africa; understands that across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, on average, one person is likely dying every 48 seconds from acute hunger; notes with concern the findings that, across the three countries, some 5.7 million children are expected to be acutely malnourished in 2022; understands that, if current trends continue, the number of climate-related disasters each year globally may increase from approximately 400 in 2015 to 450 by 2030; believes that action undertaken in expectation of a crisis, known as anticipatory action, is more effective than responding to a late-stage humanitarian crisis; notes with concern reports that the current UN appeal for the Horn of Africa is just 2% funded, and urges the UK Government to commit £750 million of new and additional financing, and to ensure a return to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on aid as soon as possible, to safeguard support for crises at a time when, it understands, globally, 181 million people are forecast to experience crisis levels of hunger in 2022.


Supported by: Karen Adam, Ariane Burgess, Maggie Chapman, Foysol Choudhury, Katy Clark, Bob Doris, Annabelle Ewing, Kenneth Gibson, Rhoda Grant, Bill Kidd, Monica Lennon, Fulton MacGregor, Michael Marra, John Mason, Stuart McMillan, Pauline McNeill, Alex Rowley, Mark Ruskell, Colin Smyth, Paul Sweeney, Mercedes Villalba, Martin Whitfield