Today’s announcement of $1 million to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is helping to address the humanitarian needs of at least one million Somalis displaced by conflict and drought who lack access to sufficient safe and nutritious food, and to increase their resilience against future food-security shocks, such as drought-related crop failures or spikes in food prices.
With Canada’s help, the FAO is:
- providing agricultural and veterinary inputs, as well as training on production techniques, to support households and communities to regain their livelihoods;
- establishing community organizations to support local producers (including agricultural and fishing businesses) and improving links with the private sector;
- providing cash for work to build or rehabilitate local infrastructure and market facilities;
- supporting local authorities to build their capacity in resource rehabilitation and management (i.e. water harvesting, agricultural land use), emergency preparedness, and disaster risk reduction; and
- supporting the reintegration of refugees and internally displaced persons into Somali society.
An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 194 member nations, two associate members and one member organization: the European Union. Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts: to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
Canada helps save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain the dignity of people affected by conflict, natural disasters, and situations of food insecurity requiring a humanitarian response in developing countries by providing funding to support the appropriate, timely, and effective response of multilateral, international, and Canadian humanitarian agencies.
For more information on Canada’s response to humanitarian crises around the world, please visit the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada website.
