Emergency Trust Fund for Africa: almost €100 million to support the most vulnerable in the Horn of Africa

The European Commission has adopted seven new programmes and additional funds for two existing projects, worth €99.5 million. They will support ongoing efforts to help the most vulnerable people in the Horn of Africa.

Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said: "The Horn of Africa has an unprecedented opportunity to shore up peace and stability throughout the region. The nearly €100 million we have approved will support vulnerable communities, contributing therefore directly to that peace and stability."

At national level, four new programmes have been approved in these countries and areas:

• South Sudan: increased access to primary and secondary education for children in remote areas (€15 million) and access to health services, including nutrition services, especially for pregnant women and children under five (€15 million).
• Sudan: better access to health for displaced populations and host communities in Darfur (€15 million).
• Ethiopia: socio-economic development and peace-building for vulnerable and marginalised communities in the Tigray region (€6 million).

Alongside these, two newly approved programmes will support the UN's Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework in Ethiopia and the Great Lakes region:

• Ethiopia – Gambella region: support for health service delivery for host communities, refugees and other displaced people (€8 million).
• Great Lakes region: enhanced dialogue to find better solutions for displaced people and host communities in Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (€9 million).

Migration challenges in this region, which hosts the highest number of refugees in the world, will continue to be addressed through the second phase of the Better Migration Management Programme (€30 million).

In addition, new funds have been approved for two ongoing programmes in Kenya: an extra €1 million will go to a youth programme, while additional half a million euros will support the country's strategy to counter violent extremism.

Background

The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa was established in 2015 to address the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement. EU institutions, EU Member States and other donors have so far allocated €4.2 billion to the Trust Fund.

With these seven new programmes, the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa counts 200 approved programmes, worth nearly €4 billion, across the three regions (the North of Africa, the Sahel and Lake Chad region and the Horn of Africa).

This funding is divided up as follows: North of Africa, €0.6 billion (21 programmes), Sahel/Lake Chad, €1.9 billion (97 programmes), and Horn of Africa, €1.4 billion (77 programmes). There are also five cross-regional programmes.