Thursday April 6, 2017
PRINCE Charles praised British aid workers for their famine relief work in Somalia today during a video link up as he visited the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome.
The heir to the throne, who was briefed on the crisis in the Horn of Africa by the UNFAO's representative in Somalia, Richard Trenchard, said: "I am immensely proud of Britain's response and its contribution."
He asked Mr Trenchard, a Briton, to pass on his thanks and best wishes to his colleagues working in the field to help 6.2 million people in need of assistance and 500,000 people at dire risk of famine in the region.
The Prince said: "Thank God for people like you."
Charles, who was welcomed to the UNFAO offices in Rome by José Graziano da Siolva, the Director General, was briefed on the crisis during a tour of the building.
He met 50 FAO staff based in Rome and thanked them for their efforts.
Somalia is currently in a protracted crisis and is experiencing a major drought.
The UN estimates that 6.2 million people are in need of assistance.
Almost 1 million children will be acutely malnourished this year -including 200,000 who could die soon - if they do not receive urgent medical treatment.
But aid workers say famine is still preventable in Somalia with the right aid.
The UK is the biggest individual donor nation to the famine relief effort and has allocated £110 million to the drought response
UK support for the 2017 drought response will provide hundreds of thousands of people with live-saving assistance, including:
• Up to 1 million people provided with emergency food assistance
• Over 600,000 starving children and pregnant and breastfeeding women provided with nutritional interventions.