Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the humanitarian response in conflict and drought-affected areas in (a) Ethiopia, (b) South Sudan, (c) Somalia and (d) Kenya includes (i) child protection and (ii) education services.

The UK is deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia and Kenya. On 17 January, I announced £17 million of UK emergency humanitarian support via the Crisis Reserve to address drought and food insecurity needs in Ethiopia (£5 million), South Sudan (£3 million), Somalia (£8 million) and Kenya (£1 million). I stated that catastrophic droughts and floods, combined with ongoing conflicts and poor governance in Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia, risk pushing hundreds of thousands of people into famine.

On 21 January I announced £14.5 million of new funding for the crisis in Ethiopia, of which £5 million is for health and education services for people affected by the conflict. As the conflict continues, children, especially girls, are at increased risk of gender-based violence, being coerced into marriage, and sexual exploitation and abuse.

The UK provides humanitarian assistance sufficient for an estimated 2 million people in South Sudan through the provision of life-saving services such as food, water, sanitation, health and nutrition. The HMG-supported South Sudan Humanitarian Fund has allocated $20 million to issues like flooding, including $1 million to World Health Organization (WHO) for flood response.

The UK supports child protection services in Somalia through partners such as UNICEF. In 2021, UK funding supported community based awareness raising for approximately 30,000 people, to address harmful social norms and strengthen the protective environment for children and women. In addition, UK-funded education projects are improving water supplies in schools and providing additional support to teachers and students. The UK-supported Global Partnership for Education has supported accelerated funding to be mobilised to finance the government's drought response in schools.

In Kenya, new UK support will deliver life-saving nutritional assistance to 26,000 children in those areas worst affected by drought.