July 24, 2014 - Toronto, Ontario
Check Against Delivery
Good evening everyone.
Thank you for joining us. I am pleased to be here today, on behalf of Canada’s Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, the Honourable Christian Paradis.
History tells us that in response to great suffering and tragedy, Canada is routinely at the forefront of global humanitarian efforts to alleviate hardship.
We saw it just last fall, when Typhoon Haiyan had a significant impact on the Philippines. Even before that record storm made landfall, our government was preparing to respond. And by the time we finally knew of Haiyan’s full impact, Canada and Canadians were fully engaged in the relief effort.
It was that way because Canada has a long tradition of generously helping the world’s most vulnerable people. We live up to the values we hold dear, and never shy away from assisting friends and neighbours in times of great need.
It is this compassion and generosity that embodies the value Canada places on international assistance—whether in the form of long-term programming designed to help more people move from poverty to prosperity, or in the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance whenever and wherever required.
We make this commitment for many reasons, chief among them because it is an expression of the values we believe in, and because it is our moral imperative to assist those who are without the means to overcome the challenges they face.
This includes many people living in Somalia today.
More than four million Somalis remain at risk—both within Somalia and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries—in one of the longest running and most complex humanitarian crises in the world.
In spite of some relatively positive political developments in Mogadishu—and the continued military success of Government and African Union troops in the struggle against the Al Shabaab rebels—little has changed in the overall humanitarian situation in Somalia since the end of the drought and famine in 2012.
Close to three million people in Somalia are still struggling to feed themselves and more than 200,000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished.
Over 1.1 million are displaced from their homes within Somalia.
And a further one million have sought refuge in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen.
This is why Canada is continuing to support humanitarian efforts in Somalia.
Today, I am pleased to announce that Canada is contributing another $2 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance for the people of Somalia.
Save the Children Canada will use this contribution to improve health and living conditions for up to 137,000 displaced and conflict-affected people in Mogadishu.
It means that communities will have access to essential drugs and medical care.
It means that malnourished children will receive treatment.
It means that 50,000 people will continue to benefit from safe water and proper sanitation.
And it means that community health workers and nutrition workers will be trained to reach out to their communities with knowledge of proper health, hygiene, and nutrition practices.
Our government has made its commitment clear—we provide humanitarian assistance when the basic needs of people affected by crises are going unmet.
This is currently the case in Somalia, and it is why I am so pleased to announce this latest funding contribution today.
Thank you.
