Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said: "The Horn of Africa has an unprecedented opportunity to shore up peace and stability throughout the region. The nearly €100 million we have approved today will support vulnerable communities, contributing therefore directly to that peace and stability."
At national level, four new programmes have been approved in these countries and areas:
- South Sudan: increased access to primary and secondary education for children in remote areas (€15 million) and access to health services, including nutrition services, especially for pregnant women and children under five (€15 million).
- Sudan: better access to health for displaced populations and host communities in Darfur (€15 million).
- Ethiopia: socio-economic development and peace-building for vulnerable and marginalised communities in the Tigray region (€6 million).
Alongside these, two newly approved programmes will support the UN’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (link is external) in Ethiopia and the Great Lakes region:
Ethiopia – Gambella region: support for health service delivery for host communities, refugees and other displaced people (€8 million).
Great Lakes region: enhanced dialogue to find better solutions for displaced people and host communities in Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (€9 million).
Migration challenges in this region, which hosts the highest number of refugees in the world, will continue to be addressed through the second phase of the Better Migration Management Programme (€30 million).
In addition, new funds have been approved for two ongoing programmes in Kenya: an extra €1 million will go to a youth programme, while additional half a million euros will support the country's strategy to counter violent extremism.
Background
The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa was established in 2015 to address the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement. EU institutions, EU Member States and other donors have so far allocated €4.2 billion to the Trust Fund.
With today's seven new programmes, the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa counts 200 approved programmes, worth nearly €4 billion, across the three regions (the North of Africa, the Sahel and Lake Chad region and the Horn of Africa).
This funding is divided up as follows: North of Africa, €0.6 billion (21 programmes), Sahel/Lake Chad, €1.9 billion (97 programmes), and Horn of Africa, €1.4 billion (77 programmes). There are also five cross-regional programmes.
Previous sets of actions approved in the Horn of Africa
- Eighth package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total amount of €139 million approved in December 2018
- Seventh package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total amount of €294 million approved in May 2018
- Joint operational Committee for the Sahel and Lake Chad, North of Africa and Horn of Africa windows approves a package for a total amount of €150 million in February 2018
- Fifth package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total package of €59 million approved in April 2017
- Fourth package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total package of €170 million approved in December 2016
- Third package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total package of €66.5 million approved in October 2016
- Second package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total package of €117 million approved in April 2016
- First package of actions in the Horn of Africa under the EU Trust Fund for a total amount of €253 million approved in December 2015.
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