Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani spoke at the United Nations Humanitarian Conference on the Horn of Africa organised in cooperation with the Governments of Italy, Qatar, the United Kingdom, the United States, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya in coordination with OCHA – United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Africa and the Horn of Africa are a priority for Italy”, said Minister Tajani via video link from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Crisis Unit. “We must address Africa’s needs through African solutions. The objective of this Conference, strongly endorsed by the Italian government, is to give visibility to the critical situation faced by millions of people in the region and to mobilize donor support.”
“The strategic future of Italy and Europe itself hinges on this continent. The UN Conference,” continued Tajani, “comes at the right time. The Horn of Africa, a crucial region for the stability of the African continent, is being affected by one of the worst droughts of our time: tens of millions of people are in need of urgent humanitarian aid. It is essential that resources be available to support the humanitarian response in the country. To this end, I believe we need to look at Africa through an African perspective.”
Italy will donate 40 million euros to the UN Humanitarian Response Plan and allocate an additional 30 million euros towards development initiatives.
