1. Introduction

2012 was a recovery year for Kenya following the drought in the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs) in 2011. The language was one of resilience, building on lessons learnt from 2011, building local capacities, particularly at community and local government level which feeds into preparedness for the next drought, an inevitability within the next couple of years. The urban informal settlements and slums experienced price spikes which continue to create hardships for the chronically poor.

The Global Overview collates information from a range of sources and displays it in a manner that allows for quick comparison of different humanitarian crises.

The just-published 2012 Annual Report on Switzerland's International Cooperation sets out a unified strategy that encompasses – for the first time – humanitarian aid, technical and financial cooperation, economic and trade policy measures, and cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe. SDC Director-General Martin Dahinden and State Secretary and Director of SECO Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch stress that this important milestone has been welcomed both by Parliament and by public opinion.

Somalia has suffered two decades of conflict, worsening droughts and heavy flooding.

Militia groups control significant parts of the country, which makes it difficult for aid workers to bring help in these areas.

Whilst a humanitarian response continues to be vital in order to save lives, long term, sustainable solutions are key to addressing Somalia’s endemic political, security and socio-economic challenges.

Overview

Across the East Africa region, consecutive good seasons transformed food security conditions from the initial low point in 2011, which was a great relief coming out of a severe drought. However, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) continued working with other players including government and regional bodies such as the Inter-Governmental Climate Information, Prediction,

By FRED OLUOCH Special Correspondent

Posted Saturday, April 20 2013 at 18:38

In Summary

SUBMITTED BY MATT HOBSON ON THU, 2013-04-11 10:41

The following post is a part of a series that discusses 'managing risk for development,' the theme of the World Bank’s upcoming World Development Report 2014.

Chatham House report considers in detail the various political, institutional and organizational barriers to translating early warning of famine into early action to avert it, and makes recommendations for how these can be overcome.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The African Development Bank has allocated $140.5 million to resilience efforts.

• Peace agreements for DRC and Sudan/South Sudan have been signed amid continuing concerns.

• Refugees continue to flee DRC and Sudan. Some 12,000 Somalis left Kenya for Somalia despite challenging conditions.

• Food security has generally improved across the region, though 16 million people are still facing crisis and emergency conditions.

• Peace holds in Kenya voting despite some violence.