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Military action in Somalia risks pushing more people ?beyond the reach of aid agencies?

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:01 GMT

Source: member // Oxfam GB - UK

New York - Nearly two weeks after the government of Kenya announced it was sending its troops into Somalia, the CEO of Oxfam, Barbara Stocking, will warn that military action risks worsening the effects of famine on the Somali people, and pushing more people "beyond the reach of aid agencies," in a keynote speech to the UN for a special ceremony to mark World Food Day and the food crisis in East Africa.

Stocking will tell the audience of UN representatives, including the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, aid agencies and private sector members, that the fate of the 750,000 Somalis threatened by death due to famine is in the hands of the international community.

Ahead of the ceremony, Stocking said: "Somalia is at a turning point, and the next three months are critical if three-quarter of a million lives are to be saved from the ravages of famine. Oxfam and other humanitarian agencies have increased our efforts to provide relief and prevent more deaths, but the situation now risks going beyond our reach. The international community must make a dramatic change in approach to ensure humanitarian aid can be safely distributed throughout Somalia."

Oxfam encourages members of the League of Arab states, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Somalia diaspora to continue to use their influence to ensure that humanitarian aid agencies have secure access to deliver life-saving assistance to those who need it most.

Under the banner of the 2011 World Food Day theme of "Food Prices: From Crisis to Stability" Stocking will say that the impact of the drought in East Africa could have been prevented if governments and donors had heeded early warnings and followed through on their pledges from two years ago.

Stocking said: "Future warnings must be taken seriously and acted upon before the situation becomes critical - and before any future drought tips East Africa into a crisis again. Funding must be made available for an integrated approach to humanitarian aid working hand-in-hand with development programs which are tried and true methods that address long-term needs."

The food crisis in East Africa mirrors challenges faced globally as it represents what can unfold when a region's most vulnerable people don't have access to the food they need to survive. There has been a dramatic neglect of small-scale food farmers and pastoralists for decades, with their access to crucial mechanisms such as markets, natural resources and infrastructure limited by a lack of political will and unwise management practices.

Stocking will call on the G20 governments, meeting in Cannes on 3-4 November, to make a political commitment to tackle the global volatility of food prices by ending mandates for biofuel production, regulating food export bans and by making agricultural derivatives work for the worldwide food system.

More from the Oxfam Press Office at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/news