Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, gentlemen, for the presentation.
I want to thank the chair and members of the government for putting together on short notice what I think is at least an important first step in understanding what Canadians and the Government of Canada can do to support people in this region. We've all watched with horror some of the images and the context of the famine that's going on. You're right to refer to it as a regional problem; it's not simply a Somalian question.
I am a big fan of the work that CIDA does. I've been lucky enough to see in projects in countries in almost every part of the world some great people working for CIDA, with local partners in many cases doing terrific things, and often with very small amounts of money, in the most vulnerable and difficult circumstances, so Ms. Brown is right to highlight the commitment of the government. It was a robust commitment. I am hoping that we as a committee can look at this issue again in the fall and try to make Canadians understand, as Ms. Brown did in her question, precisely what can be done in a very tangible way to support the work not only of your agency but also of other Canadian NGOs and international partners.
By way of a question, obviously there is much short-term urgency to this, and the focus of your efforts is on famine relief and getting food to those affected and the vulnerable populations in the region. Not to take away from the urgency of the short-term immediate crisis, are we or other international partners also doing any work on trying to support these populations in the longer-term needs of the region on issues such as food security?
Second, could you offer some comments on the current state of the Somali government? Is the government really in any position to provide security or access to aid groups or international organizations trying to reach its population? Do you see the Somali government as being at all effective, or is it simply irrelevant? There is the threat, as you noted in your briefing note, from some of the paramilitary and terrorist groups that have previously been a huge impediment to getting food to those in great need.