UK Secures £276m from G7 to Help North-East Nigeria
The United Kingdom (UK) has secured the commitment of the G7 action plan to help save millions of lives from famine and humanitarian crises, including £276 million for NorthEast Nigeria.
This was disclosed on Monday in a statement issued by the British High Commission in Abuja, stressing that G7 has agreed on landmark collective action to significantly increase early action, supporting the UN to more than double its plans to tackle droughts, epidemics and other catastrophes before they strike.
At the meeting, which took place in London, G7 countries agreed action to protect the most vulnerable people around the world from climate-related disasters, help millions of people at imminent risk of famine, humanitarian crises and ensure equitable access to life-saving COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the statement, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing said, “I welcome the G7’s commitment of £276 million for North East Nigeria. It is vital we act now to avert further deterioration in the food security situation of millions of people affected by the conflict.
“Just as the UK is working with Nigerian partners to find solutions to the crisis in the North East, the G7 are working together to find global solutions to global problems and protect those hardest hit by these challenges. Together we can shape a better future.”
The triple threat of conflict, COVID-19 and climate change has meant the risk of famine is now a devastating reality many countries face. Millions of people in Yemen, South Sudan and North East Nigeria are already in crisis, the statement said.
The crisis in North-East Nigeria is more than a decade old. According to UN OCHA, there are 8.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance there. 1.9 million People have been displaced from their homes and one million people are in areas outside humanitarian access.
“In North East Nigeria, 4.36 million people are projected to be in crisis and emergency levels of food security this lean season (June-August). The UK is seriously concerned about the status of civilians living in the inaccessible areas, over 800,000 people of whom are reaching critical levels of food insecurity and have extremely limited access to basic services such as healthcare,” the statement added.
The UK is driving co-ordinated action to tackle shared global challenges of COVID-19, famine and climate change, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced on 5th May 2021 as he wrapped up the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meeting.
