War and destruction in Sudan and the floods in Kenya and Somalia are just two current examples of crises in Africa. The continent faces many challenges. The Austrian federal government has decided in the Council of Ministers to make nine million euros available from the foreign disaster fund.
The resources from the Foreign Disaster Fund (AKF) are intended to improve the situation for the local population. “We maintain our clear position: providing local assistance ensures greater stability and security in the region and curbs illegal migration flows to Europe,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
Fivefold increase in Foreign Disaster Fund resources
“Wars, the consequences of the climate crisis, increasing poverty and growing hunger in Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Tunisia and Ethiopia are forcing people to flee or be expelled,” Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) emphasizes.
“Austria assumes its global responsibility and contributes to alleviating these humanitarian crises on our neighboring continent. Only by fivefolding the resources of the Foreign Disaster Fund will increased aid measures in the region be possible,” Kogler continued.
“Contributing to local stability”
“This is more than humanitarian aid, but also well-understood altruism. Because with every euro we contribute to stability on the ground and thus help to combat illegal migration,” said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), justifying the provision of the funds.
Of the nine million euros, two million euros will go to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burkina Faso, a priority country for Austrian development cooperation and one of the poorest countries in the world. The UNHCR will also receive one million euros each to protect displaced people in Tunisia, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Protecting children is a priority
A further two million euros will be made available to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and one million euros to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the protection of children in Mali. One million euros will go to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to alleviate the hunger disaster in South Sudan.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
