III 

Calendar No. 115 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 114 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria, 

Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 5 (legislative day, APRIL 4), 2017 

Mr. YOUNG (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. COONS, Mr. RUBIO, 

Mr. BOOZMAN, and Mr. BOOKER) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 5, 2017 

Reported by Mr. CORKER, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on humanitarian crises 

in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. 

Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all 

in famine, pre-famine, or ‘‘at risk of famine’’ stages in 

2017; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 

20,000,000 people are at risk of starvation within the 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 114 RS 

next six months in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and 

Yemen; 

Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-General of the International Committee of the Red 

Cross, testified that the crisis represents ‘‘one of the 

most critical humanitarian issues to face mankind since 

the end of the Second World War’’ and warned that ‘‘we 

are at the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in recent history’’; 

Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ‘‘More than 5.1 million 

people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria’’; 

Whereas, according to USAID, ‘‘An estimated 6.2 million 

people—more than half of Somalia’s total population— 

currently require urgent humanitarian assistance.’’; 

Whereas, according to USAID, ‘‘An estimated 5.5 million 

people—nearly half of South Sudan’s population—will 

face life threatening hunger by July.’’; 

Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ‘‘More than seventeen million people—an astounding 60% of the country’s 

population—are food insecure, including seven million 

people who are unable to survive without food assistance.’’; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund 

(UNICEF), ‘‘Some 22 million children have been left 

hungry, sick, displaced and out of school in the four 

countries. Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of 

death this year from severe malnutrition.’’; 

Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions are, 

to varying degrees, man-made and preventable—exacerVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:08 Jun 05, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR114.RS SR114

sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 114 RS 

bated by armed conflict, disregard for international humanitarian law, and deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access; 

Whereas parties to the conflicts have harassed, attacked, and 

killed humanitarian workers, blocking and hindering humanitarian access and depriving the world’s most hungry 

people of the food they need; 

Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by UNOCHA, are 

appealing for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines 

in Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia, 

$4,400,000,000 of which is required urgently; and 

Whereas Mr. Daccord testified on March 22, 2017, ‘‘Our 

message is clear: immediate, decisive action is needed to 

prevent vast numbers of people starving to death.’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all 

in famine, pre-famine, or at risk of famine in 2017; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20,000,000 people are at risk of starvation this year in Nigeria, Somalia, 

South Sudan, and Yemen; 

Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the DirectorGeneral of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 

testified before Congress that the crisis represents ‘‘one of 

the most critical humanitarian issues to face mankind 

since the end of the Second World War’’ and warned that 

‘‘we are at the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in recent history’’; 

Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ‘‘[m]ore than 5.1 million 

people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria’’; 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 114 RS 

Whereas, according to USAID, ‘‘An estimated 6.2 million people—more than half of Somalia’s total population—currently require urgent humanitarian assistance.’’; 

Whereas, according to USAID, ‘‘An estimated 5.5 million people—nearly half of South Sudan’s population—will face 

life threatening hunger by July.’’; 

Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ‘‘More than seventeen million people—an astounding 60% of the country’s 

population—are food insecure, including seven million 

people who are unable to survive without food assistance.’’; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund 

(UNICEF), ‘‘[s]ome 22 million children have been left 

hungry, sick, displaced and out of school in the four countries’’ and ‘‘Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of 

death this year from severe malnutrition.’’; 

Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions are, 

to varying degrees, man-made and preventable—exacerbated by armed conflict and deliberate restrictions on humanitarian access; 

Whereas parties to the conflicts, including even some government forces, have harassed, attacked, and killed humanitarian workers, blocked and hindered humanitarian access, 

and continue to deprive the world’s most hungry people of 

the food they need; 

Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by OCHA, have appealed for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in 

Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia; and 

Whereas Mr. Daccord testified before Congress on March 22, 

2017, ‘‘Our main message is clear: immediate, decisive action is needed to prevent vast numbers of people starving 

to death.’’: Now, therefore, be it 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 114 RS 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) it is the sense of the Senate that— 

3 (A) United States national security inter4 ests and the values of the American people de5 mand that the United States lead an urgent 

6 and comprehensive international diplomatic ef7 fort to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, 

8 South Sudan, and Yemen that are preventing 

9 humanitarian aid from being delivered to mil10 lions of people who desperately need it; 

11 (B) the President should encourage other 

12 governments to join the United States in pro13 viding the resources necessary to meet the 

14 $5,600,000,000 UNOCHA appeal to address 

15 the humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, 

16 South Sudan, and Yemen; 

17 (C) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, So18 malia, South Sudan, and Yemen must respect 

19 fully international humanitarian law by allowing 

20 and facilitating rapid and unimpeded passage of 

21 humanitarian relief for civilians in need and re22 specting and protecting humanitarian and med23 ical relief personnel and objects; and 

24 (D) the President, working with inter25 national partners, should work to identify and 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
6 

•SRES 114 RS 

1 document violations of international humani2 tarian law in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, 

3 and Yemen seeking to bring perpetrators to jus4 tice where possible; and 

5 (2) the Senate— 

6 (A) urges the President, in close coordina7 tion with international partners, to employ 

8 every appropriate strategy to persuade the Gov9 ernment of South Sudan to stop blocking aid 

10 for people who desperately need it; 

11 (B) calls on the President to notify Con12 gress without delay if the Government of South 

13 Sudan does not immediately and fully respect 

14 international humanitarian law so that Con15 gress can work with the President to impose 

16 additional costs on the government and leaders 

17 of South Sudan for their deplorable actions; 

18 (C) urges the President to press the Gov19 ernment of Nigeria to take tangible and imme20 diate steps to ensure accountability for security 

21 forces that violate human rights and fail to co22 operate fully with international aid efforts; 

23 (D) calls on the President to send the Sec24 retary of State or other high level representa25 tive to attend the upcoming United Kingdom’s 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
7 

•SRES 114 RS 

1 Ministerial Conference on Somalia and publicly 

2 announce a contribution to the humanitarian 

3 assistance efforts which will help leverage other 

4 international donors; and 

5 (E) urges the President to work urgently 

6 with stakeholders to persuade parties to conflict 

7 in Yemen to permit humanitarian groups in8 creased access to Red Sea ports like Hodeida to 

9 deliver much-needed assistance to vulnerable 

10 communities. 

11 That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

12 (1) the United States should lead an urgent and 

13 comprehensive international diplomatic effort to ad14 dress obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, 

15 and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid 

16 from being delivered to millions of people who des17 perately need it; 

18 (2) the United States should encourage other gov19 ernments to join the United States in providing the 

20 resources necessary to address the humanitarian cri21 ses in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen; 

22 (3) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, 

23 South Sudan, and Yemen should allow and facilitate 

24 rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
8 

•SRES 114 RS 

1 for civilians in need and respect and protect humani2 tarian and medical relief personnel and objects; and 

3 (4) the United States, working with inter4 national partners, should support efforts to hold ac5 countable those responsible for deliberate restrictions 

6 on humanitarian access in Nigeria, Somalia, South 

7 Sudan, and Yemen. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS

sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 115 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 114 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on humaniand Yemen. tarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, 

JUNE 5, 2017 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS