New York, May 28 (QNA) - The State of Qatar affirmed that it will continue its humanitarian support for the Horn of Africa, calling on the international community to learn from previous experiences in facing major challenges and crises around the world, and to unify multilateral action, in order to face international challenges and crises.

This came in a statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani during the High-level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Response in the Horn of Africa, specifically in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, at the UN headquarters.

Her Excellency renewed the State of Qatar's firm commitment to solidarity with the peoples of the Horn of Africa, and urged all member states to respond to the unprecedented drought hitting the Horn of Africa, as part of the commitment to address the urgent humanitarian needs in this region.

She pointed out that the State of Qatar is honored to participate in this high-level event with the United Nations, Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom, in cooperation with the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, in order to respond to an urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance from the peoples of the Horn of Africa, who are facing unprecedented drought, due to deep crises.

HE Sheikha Alya said that according to UN agencies, more than 32 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are acutely food insecure, and that more than 43 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance this year, including more than 8 million children and pregnant woman facing acute malnutrition. She underlined that, on the other hand, and unfortunately, the funding of the Humanitarian Response Plan 2023 so far is insufficient, and therefore, it is necessary for the international community to take decisive action to address this crisis.

In this context, Her Excellency said that at the High Level Side Event: Responding to the Urgent Humanitarian Needs in the Horn of Africa, the State of Qatar pledged $12 million in humanitarian aid. In implementation of this pledge, Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and Qatar Charity launched an urgent response project to help those affected by the drought in Somalia, HE added.

HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN noted that QFFD is funding the second phase of the "Building Resilient Communities in Somalia" project (BRCIS) in cooperation with the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Somalia.

HE Sheikha Alya explained that the project aims to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to rural communities in the Republic of Somalia, especially those most vulnerable to disasters, pointing out that this was achieved by providing multi-sectoral assistance to 594.618 beneficiaries over a period of six months.

Her Excellency also said that the Qatar Fund for Development is currently finalizing a joint project with USAID and UNICEF in Somalia, with a total value of $12 million, in which QFFD and USAID contributed $6 million, adding that this joint effort aims to meet the urgent needs arising from the outbreak of measles and cholera in Somalia, with a focus on bridging gaps in the health, water, sanitation and security sectors, which suffer from a lack of necessary support as outlined in the Humanitarian Response Plan 2023.

In the same context, Her Excellency indicated that the Education Above All Foundation (EAA) is implementing joint projects to provide quality education for 7.5 million out-of-school children and youth in Africa, with the total budget for these projects amounting to $1.2 billion. The contributions of the Education Above All Foundation amount to more than $542 million, HE added.

HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN said that in partnership with Save the Children and Plan International - Niger, EAA Foundation will implement projects aimed at providing education to "177.199" children in Africa, with a total budget of about $60 million for these projects, of which the Education Above All Foundation contributed about $30 million. (QNA)