The Dutch Minister of Development leaves on Saturday for Ethiopia where he would be visiting the Somali region which is affected by a severe drought. The Ethiopian government has announced on Thursday that 6.2 million people are threatened by famine. Large parts of Ethiopia have been affected by extreme drought affecting the agricultural crops and livestock as a result of no more water or food.

 
Koenders will speak on Sunday to various representatives of the Ethiopian government and aid agencies about the emergency in the Somali region. The minister will also visit a World Food Programme distribution centre. This UN organisation is this year short of 85 million dollars to pay for food aid to six million Ethiopians until the end of this year.
 
 
“The food situation is acute in Ethiopia. This is partly due to climate and the food crisis in the world. The Ethiopian people should not fall victim to it,” said Koenders. Earlier this year, The Netherlands contributed one million dollars to the initial emergency needs following a special call from the World Food Programme. The Netherlands also supports the Ethiopian Government’s policy to invest more in agriculture.
 
 
Koenders is in Ethiopia not only for the emergency, but also for the vulnerability of mothers in developing countries. On Monday, in Addis Ababa, the Minister will open a special conference on reducing maternal mortality, one of the eight Millennium Development Goals.
 
It is the first worldwide conference on this issue, which is organised by the United Nations and the Dutch government. “There is a huge delay in reaching this UN target. Thousands of mothers die in giving birth in developing countries. We can do something about it,” said Koenders. A concrete action plan to reduce maternal mortality will be adopted at the conference.
 
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands.
 
Photo: roel1943 (Flickr CC)