The Government keeps working to send humanitarian aid to crisis contexts promptly. Today, the Vulcano vessel of the Italian Navy, equipped with a hospital onboard, has left towards the Middle East. The ship’s arrival follows humanitarian flights, which have delivered essential goods to Egypt in support of Gaza people and to Benghazi to assist the populations hit by the floods.
Upon the call of Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and in line with the Mattei Plan launched by the Government, today, Edmondo Cirielli, Deputy Minister for Development Cooperation, ordered the allocation of over 39 EUR million to provide humanitarian aid in the crisis contexts in the Horn of Africa, Sahel and North Africa.
This choice restates Italy’s commitment to assist vulnerable populations and provide humanitarian assistance to African Countries to promote stability and growth in the Continent.
Among others, the allocations also include humanitarian support to Ethiopia, an essential country to which 25 EUR million were allocated for the activities of Italian Civil Society Organisations (20 EUR million) and the UN (5 EUR million). Ethiopia is among the Countries beneficiaries of the International Donors’ Conference on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Horn of Africa, co-organised by Italy on 24 May 2023 in New York, in partnership with UNOCHA and the US, UK and Qatar governments. Sudan is also among the recipients of the emergency initiatives approved, with an allocation of 5 EUR million by Italian Civil Society Organisations, proving that Italy pays constant attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Country.
As for the Sahel region, Italy restates its commitment to refugees, displaced people and their hosting communities by allocating two contributions to UNHCR in favour of the people of Burkina Faso (3 EUR million) and Niger (1.5 EUR million).
Moreover, the allocations approved also include actions to address the consequences of natural disasters such as the Daniel flood, which hit the North-Eastern area of Libya on 10 September, and the earthquake of 6 February in Türkiye and Syria. Covering these interventions will be a 1 EUR million contribution to UNICEF for Libya and an overall grant of 4 EUR million, equally divided between UNICEF and UNHCR for Türkiye. Addressing natural disasters is one of the areas in which Italian Cooperation is particularly committed, along with actions aimed at reducing the risk of disasters.