Thank you.
I will read a brief presentation and I look forward to your questions subsequently.
I'd like to speak to you briefly about CIDA's response to the drought in East Africa. No doubt you are aware that it currently encompasses the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, where it is imperilling the livelihoods of more than 12 million people.
Acute malnutrition in drought-affected populations across the region has been recorded at rates as high as three or four times above emergency threshold levels. The WHO emergency threshold is 15% and currently there are rates of 50% or higher being recorded. Those rates are very, very high.
The UN has now declared a famine in five regions of southern Somalia, a famine that is expected to spread throughout much of the south of the country. Unfortunately, this is a region controlled by al Shabaab, making the humanitarian response much more difficult.
As a result of the deteriorating situation within Somalia, in part accelerated by the lack of humanitarian access, more than 180,000 Somalis have fled the country into neighbouring Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya since January 2011, severely taxing the already strained refugee response systems in those countries.
On July 22, Minister Oda visited the Dadaab refugee camps in the northeast of Kenya to see the situation for herself. At that time, Minister Oda announced that Canada, through CIDA, would provide $50 million to help the people affected by the drought in East Africa. This amount, which includes $25 million for emergency food assistance, is in addition to the more than $22 million provided by CIDA in 2011 for humanitarian assistance in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
Minister Oda also announced the creation of an East Africa Drought Relief Fund, through which the Government of Canada will match, dollar for dollar, eligible gifts made by individual Canadians to a registered Canadian charity. These funds will further support Canada's assistance to the victims of the crisis affecting the region.
CIDA will continue to closely monitor the effects of the drought in East Africa.