Working as one for the drought relief”: Taiwan provides 300 tons of rice to Somaliland

Press-Release

Ambassador Allen C. Lou of the Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland hands over 300 tons of rice from Taiwan to H.E. Abdirahman Abdullahi Ismail Saylici, Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland and Chairman of National Drought Committee on 28^th September 2022 to benefit the people in need affected by the severe drought.

According to the UN agencies, Horn of Africa countries are facing longest drought in over 40 years which is pushing people “to the brink of starvation”; “Hundreds of thousands are already facing starvation today with staggering levels of malnutrition expected among children under five”; “Large-scale deaths from hunger” are increasingly likely”, “as many as four children or two adults per 10,000 people, will die every day”. “Without a massively scaled-up humanitarian response, the situation will likely worsen in many countries in the coming months”. And “Humanitarian assistance is crucial to save lives and prevent starvation, death and the total collapse of livelihoods”.

To echo UN’s and Somaliland President H. E. Muse Bihi Abdi’s appeals to the international community, Taiwan provided USD 500,000 in February this year. Taiwan today further donates 300 tons of rice to Somaliland National Drought and Rescue Committee to mitigate the drought impact. These 300 tons of rice are sufficient to feed 10,000 families for a whole month.

Taiwan’s support today is “throwing a jade to attract more jades”. It is expected that more and more countries and international organizations will respond with timely supports.

Just as the theme of the 77^th session of the UN General Assembly, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges” pointedly reminds us of the grave challenges facing the international community, especially Somaliland: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and food shortage. Under the belief of “Care, sympathy and empathy transcend borders” and as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan has proved to be a reliable and indispensable partner, and the people of Taiwan stand ready to contribute. Let’s work together as one for the global good!