IV

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 316

Concerning efforts to avert drought and famine in Africa, particularly

Ethiopia.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 3, 2000

Mr. PAYNE (for himself and Mr. CAMPBELL) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International

Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Concerning efforts to avert drought and famine in Africa,

particularly Ethiopia.

Whereas the conditions in southern Ethiopia are extremely

close to a famine and famine-like conditions are plaguing

Somalia, Kenya, and Eritrea;

Whereas, in Konso, malaria has affected women, men, and

children;

Whereas irrigation is a rarity and almost 90 percent of farming in Ethiopia depends entirely on rainfall;

Whereas Ethiopia’s Disaster Preparedness and Prevention

Commission appealed for help 16 months ago when cyclical droughts arose due to global weather disturbances;
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•HCON 316 IH

Whereas the Ethiopian Government has requested 836,800

tons of emergency food aid to assist an estimated 7.7

million people;

Whereas the most severe drought conditions are in the town

of Gode where carcasses of dead livestock lie in the

streets;

Whereas hundreds of thousands may die from malnutrition

and malnutrition-related illnesses;

Whereas the United Nations estimates that more than 16

million people are threatened by food shortages in Ethiopia and the Greater Horn of Africa;

Whereas a third of Africans live without enough water;

Whereas the United Nations World Food Program reported

that an extended dry spell with only scattered rains during May and June is likely to slash crop and livestock

production, further weakening the region’s already precarious food situation;

Whereas in many parts of Africa, water supplies are insufficient to meet current or expected future demand during

certain times of the year;

Whereas Ethiopia’s demand for water can be attributed to

the doubling of its population, which in the last 15 years

has increased to 63 million;

Whereas the River Nile basin states (ICCON) will promulgate

a 15-point document that lays out the basic principles

upon which those 10 nations will act in common concerning the Nile River;

Whereas in order to achieve the shared goals of ensuring food

security and preventing famine, African nations must be
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knowledgeable concerning sustainable use of natural resources; and

Whereas growing populations and changing values are placing

increasing demands on existing water supplies, resulting

in water use conflicts: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) congratulates the Administration for pro4 viding up to 500,000 metric tons of food through

5 private voluntary organizations (PVO’s), coopera6 tives, and international organizations such as the

7 World Food Program (WFP);

8 (2) congratulates the Administration for pro9 viding a $7 million annual program for a Famine

10 Early Warning System;

11 (3) urges the Agency for International Develop12 ment to provide emergency food assistance under

13 Public Law 480, including wheat, rice, corn, and

14 sorghum;

15 (4) encourages the Agency for International

16 Development to provide farmer-to-farmer assistance

17 under programs that fund technical assistance to

18 improve food production and distribution and im19 prove farming and marketing in eligible countries;

20 (5) congratulates the Ethiopian Government for

21 going on the open market to provide 100,000 metric
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1 tons of food to the southern region of Ethiopia from

2 the food surplus region in the western part of the

3 country;

4 (6) strongly encourages international humani5 tarian organizations to provide wheat to the needed

6 regions;

7 (7) calls on the President to work with the

8 international community to provide funding for

9 dams, irrigation systems, and wells to provide clean

10 drinking water;

11 (8) encourages increased water conservation,

12 water quality enhancement, and more efficient use of

13 water supplies to meet increased demands on water

14 resources;

15 (9) encourages international humanitarian or16 ganizations to provide grain to the southern region

17 of Ethiopia;

18 (10) suggests that food aid be distributed in

19 Ethiopia before the long rains which occur in the

20 July/August period;

21 (11) strongly urges the Nile Basin countries to

22 engage in cooperative efforts for achieving a just

23 share of the Nile waters for irrigation and water re24 sources; and
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1 (12) supports increased planning and initiatives

2 by the Nile Basin Initiative secretariat to promote

3 the proper use of the River Nile and to alleviate pov4 erty in the region.

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