On Africa Day, Rep. Bass Introduces Resolution Calling for Urgent Action to Address Famine in the Horn of Africa

"On this day 59 years ago, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established when 32 newly independent African countries signed the OAU Charter. The OAU - and its successor the African Union - are landmark achievements that unite the African people around shared values promoting human rights, political stability, security cooperation, socio-economic development, and mutual prosperity through intra-continental trade. It is in this spirit that we celebrate Africa Day each year on May 25th. I join African nations and many others across the globe in commemorating the OAU's founding and celebrating freedom and liberation on the African continent," said Rep. Bass said.

She continued,"The theme of this year's Africa Day is Building Resilience in Nutrition. For that reason, I applaud the African Development Bank and other international organizations, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, for recently announcing planned spending to address food insecurity on the continent, and I similarly applaud the Biden Administration for elevating the issue of hunger while chairing the UN Security Council this month. This is exactly the discussion we must be having in 2022 as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya are undergoing one of the worst water and food insecurity emergencies of the 21st century after four consecutive seasons with below-average rainfall. That is why I introduced this resolution, which raises awareness for the severe humanitarian crises currently facing the Horn of Africa and urges for continued foreign assistance to affected communities."

The resolution is cosponsored by Reps. André Carson (IN-07), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), and Dwight Evans (PA-03).

The resolution cites UN World Food Programme estimates that the ongoing drought in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya places 20 million people at risk of starvation and notes that shortages resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine are a contributing factor to this mounting crisis. The resolution urges for a global commitment to foreign aid and calls upon the U.S. Agency for International Development and other Federal agencies to support humanitarian and agricultural assistance to the region.

A copy of the resolution can be found here.