The Australian Government decision to defer an increase of international aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income until 2016 was disappointing. In particular, a substantial increase in aid to the humanitarian food crisis in the Horn of Africa, and the unfolding crisis in Sehal, is needed.
Over 23 million, many children, are at serious risk of dying of starvation. This of priority concern to Australians that realise the situation. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is also the first Millennium Development Goal, which Australia has commited to, and one of the most basic of all civil rights. The Australian government has recently increased spending to over 70 million on emergency food aid in the Horn of Africa, but this pales in comparison to the dire needs for emergency food aid; it pales in comparison to our spending on other disasters, such as over a billion following the 2005 tsunami; and it pales in comparison to our commitment to less urgent regional programs (e.g. over 90 million now committed to building police capacity in the Pacific).
Masses of children starving to death, and many at risk, even on the other side of the world, is UNACCEPTABLE to 'most of us'. But most of all, it should be UNACCEPTABLE to the governments of developed nations with the resources to affect wide scale change.
Moreover, the longer this dire situation continues, the greater the likelihood that previous development gains in these areas will be lost, and future aid liabilities will increase.
Map illustrating current crisis in Eastern Africa is below (may take 1 minute to load).
We, the undersigned, call on the Australian Government to immediately increase humanitarian aid to address the food crisis in the Horn of Africa, and the unfolding crisis in the Sehal.
We also call on the Government to increase diplomatic efforts to lobby other countries to increase aid and address the crisis.
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The Increase Humanitarian Aid for Famine in Africa petition to Department Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia was written by Merrilyn and is in the category International Affairs at GoPetition.