The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa and other international development leaders have established an alliance to promote resilience against disasters in the Horn of Africa.



Called the Global Alliance for Action for Drought, Resilience and Growth, the alliance will bolster coordination among development partners, encourage economic growth, build new partnerships with the private sector and increase food availability. The alliance was announced April 4, 2012 at the end of a two-day IGAD conference in Nairobi, Kenya.



USAID will commit more than $280 million to the effort. International donor co-hosts of the conference collectively have committed more than $4 billion, USAID said.

The United States also is providing additional new funds of nearly $50 million in aid for refugees and drought-affected communities in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, the State Department said April 5.



Countries in the Horn of Africa are recovering from their worst drought in 60 years. The drought spread famine throughout southern Somalia, uprooted thousands of families and put more than 13 million people at severe risk, USAID said. In addition, the Famine Early Warning System Network stated April 3 that the March-May rains in the eastern Horn of Africa will not be adequate to alleviate the crisis.



The agreement calls for the creation of a regional alliance on drought resilience and growth that will allow donors and other partners to better coordinate investments and policy.



In a communique, USAID, IGAD and partners also called for approaches to address the drought crisis in the Horn of Africa that integrate women, youth and vulnerable groups into national and regional programs and social services.



"Thanks to lessons learned, we are making key reforms in the way we respond to crisis, limiting their impact and helping to break the cycle of drought and famine," said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.



USAID said that building resilience in the Horn of Africa will depend on reducing gaps between men and women in well-being, differentiating between the needs of men and women, and using the skills of both women and men.



USAID also said that part of its approach is to promote sustainable management of water resources and rangeland. In recent decades, the number of livestock and people that rely on arid rangelands has dramatically increased, with the result being a recurring cycle of reduced herd sizes and insufficient time for herders to restock or for land to recover.



"USAID's support for resilience programs alone could save as many as 1 million people from relying on humanitarian assistance and this global partnership could help millions more," Shah said at the meeting.



Cyclical droughts are coming faster than ever and the development community's ability to forecast future drought and famine requires it to change its approach, USAID reported. Funds provided, USAID said, "can be more effective at reducing the need for future humanitarian responses if they are invested to build resilience between and throughout these disastrous drought cycles, saving millions of lives."



Since early 2011, the United States has provided almost $1 billion in humanitarian aid in the Horn of Africa, the State Department said.



See also: Building Resilience in African Nations is Paramount to Development