Responding to the International Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell’s announcement at the UN Horn of Africa pledging conference, Callum Northcote, Head of Hunger and Nutrition at Save the Children said:

“We welcome this funding for children facing one of the worst hunger crises on record, but it is critical that this funding announcement serves as a starting point. The job is far from done and given the scale of need, this cannot signal the total ambition of the UK Government.

“A staggering 20 million children in East Africa find themselves trapped in the grip of a calamitous hunger crisis, compounded by flooding and with more extreme weather events looming. Funding basic services like nutritional support and emergency food is critical, but the UK's aid cuts have clearly hampered the government's ability to respond to crises.

“In 2017, when governments acted to prevent famine in parts of East Africa, the UK contributed over £800m, today they have pledged just a fraction of this.

“In times of crisis the international community needs to step up, not step back. We urge the government to restore its aid budget so that the UK can play its role in averting disaster.”

ENDS