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Food Crisis in South Sudan and Somalia

Economic and Social Council

I. Background on the Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six primary organs of the United
Nations. Its main purpose is to coordinate the diverse economic, social, cultural, educational, and
health programs of the UN. In order to do this, the council works together with Non
Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and every once in a while inviting them to their meetings
in order to get insight on pending problems occurring across the world. Furthermore, to properly
address every single topic, the council divides itself into a series of commissions that specializes
in specific areas of social development. The commissions on Human Rights, Sustainable
Development, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and on the Status of Women are all
examples of the agencies that the ECOSOC counts on. Unlike how many organs work, ECOSOC
has no binding resolutions; which means that they are passed on to the General Assembly to
serve as recommendations. Member countries are elected to serve in a three-year term by the
General Assembly, and are chosen strategically to achieve regional representation. The Council
meets once a year, during a six-week long session held in either Geneva or New York. During
these meetings voting procedures are done by simple majority votes, each state having a single
one.

II. Background on the food crisis in South Sudan and Somalia

Three criteria need to be met for a famine to be officially declared. First, 1 in 5 households needs
to be facing extreme food shortages. Second, more than 30% of the population has to be acutely
malnourished. According to The World Health Organization acute malnutrition is defined by a
very low weight for height (below -3z scores of the median WHO growth standards), by visible
severe wasting, or by the presence of nutritional oedema. At least 2 out of every 10,000 people
die of malnutrition each day. Which means that before a famine is officially declared people are
already dying. Famine does not just mean that people are hungry, malnutrition is deadly and it
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mostly affects young children. In a famine people dont necessarily starve to death. Often
some other factors gets them first. Chronic malnutrition worsens the bodys ability to battle
infection and the hungry become increasingly susceptible to tuberculosis and typhoid. The
starved body is too weak to metabolize antibiotics, even if they are available, and normally
curable illnesses suddenly become fatal. There are a number of issues one being a long term
drought, war and conflict and a succession of poor harvest.

South Sudan:
According to the United Nations, around 100,000 people South Sudan are currently facing
starvation. This was the first time in six years that a famine has been recorded in any part of the
world. South Sudan is a relatively new country, it used to be part of Sudan, but people from the
south voted to be an independent nation, and in 2011 South Sudan was formed. The split
between the people happened after an agreement signed in 2005, which ended Africas longest
running-civil war. Since its independence from Sudan, South Sudan split up into different ethnic
groups, who have fought for power and other resources, such as cattle, creating tension.
Disagreements between the president Salva Kiir Mayardit and his vice-president Riek Machar
have worsened the situation. In July of 2013, the president discharged the vice-president and
other members of the government. Since then, thousands of people have died and millions were
displaced from their homes. In 2015, both groups decided to solve the problems, after the UN
said there will be punishments if not. The sacked vice-president came back to South Sudan and
tried to become vice-president again but it didnt happened, he was fired again. The ongoing
problem inside the government of South Sudan has divided the people and fighting has not
stopped. Children have been forced to become soldiers and more than 3.5 million people have
been forced to flee from their homes. One of the most important consequences of the conflict is
the declared famine; there isnt enough food for everyone, children are starving, prices for fuel
and basic goods are extremely high, and aid agencies are unable to help. The food situation in
Somalia keeps worsening. One in every three people are severely hungry. More than one million
children under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished and waterborne diseases like cholera and
typhoid, from contaminated waters are increasing. Around 7.5 million South Sudaneses are now
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in need of humanitarian aid and more than half of the population is expected to be affected
by extreme hunger by July of this year.

Somalia:
The United Nations has declared a famine in parts of Somalia. Somalia is currently in an ongoing
civil war. Since 1991 Somalia has been without an effective central government. Northwest
Somalia, declared itself the independent Republic of Somaliland in 1991, but has never been
recognized internationally. In 2004 the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was successfully
formed with the purpose of uniting the country but in actuality it is known for representing their
own interest upsetting the people. In resistance to the TGF the Islamic Courts Union (ICU)
emerged as a counterweight to the TGF. In 2006 ICU took control of Mogadishu, the capital.
Many neighboring countries are afraid of the ICU and have been trying to fight it causing more
instability in Somalia. By April 2008, fighting in Mogadishu was worse than ever before. At the
same time the country faced a severe humanitarian food crisis with 1.1 million people displaced
from their homes and at risk of starvation. By May 2009, the UN warned that with 3.2 million
people in need of food and assistance, the country was at the brink of famine. The long-running
conflict in Somalia has made it very difficult and dangerous for aid agencies to operate inside the
country, complicating the crisis.

Past UN Actions
In an attempt to prevent the potential famines the UN, NGOs and different nations have called
to action and have pleaded to have countries from all around the world help South Sudan and
Somalia. On March 7, 2017, the secretary general of the United Nations, Antnio Guterres,
arrived in Somalia on Tuesday and appealed for $825 million in aid to address drought and
cholera in the East African nation on the brink of famine. Mr. Guterres said the money was
needed in order to help 5.5 million people, which is about half of Somalias population, to allow
them to survive the next six months. The Somali government has now created an emergency
committee of federal and regional levels to handle fund-raising and to register people affected by
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drought. Also, the Britains Department for International Development pledged 100m to
Somalia in order to help them with the acute malnutrition.
In South Sudan, more than half the population is in desperate need. Almost five million
live without enough food and water. The UK government is now leading the way by donating
170m in different services by providing food assistance for over 500,000 people, nutritional
support for more than 27,000 children, safe drinking water for over 300,000 people, and
emergency health services for over 100,000 people.
The UN has given its Food and Agriculture Organization a $22 million loan to help with
the crisis, but it is not enough due to the fact that they need $4.4 billion by July in order to
prevent Somalis and South Sudanese from dying. Young African professionals and international
activists are taking the initiative to connect, collaborate, and raise funds and relief materials to
aid those in need. Using smartphones and accessing to the internet, they are utilizing social
media outlets to spread the news about the drought and create positive change.

III. Useful links for research

World Health Organization - This webpage provides the definition and facts of malnutrition
based on the World Health Organization.

International Rescue Committee - This webpage provides a video with the criteria needed for a
famine to be officially declared.

CNN - This article provides data and facts about the people affected in Somalia and what exactly
is happening to them.

ECOSOC - This ECOSOC webpage provides all information related to this council.

Enough - The project to end the genocide and crimes against humanity - This webpage provides
information about how the crisis in Somalia started and the history of its ongoing civil war.
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BBC - This article provides essential information about the situation in South Sudan. It has
facts about the independence of South Sudan and the problems the governments have, as well as
how this lead to the famine.

OXFAM - This webpage provides information about what is being done in South Sudan.

GOV.UK - This article outlines the information about what the United Kingdom is doing in
relation to the conflict.

The Guardian - This webpage provides information about how much money the United Kingdom
has donated to the different countries facing famines and how readers can donate.

Quartz Africa - This webpage gives an insight of how China used to thrive in African countries
and used to sell many products and now, it is very difficult for them to make profit.

The New York Times - This webpage explains that the new U.N Chief, Antnio Guterres visited
Somalia and he pleads to all other nations to help prevent further problems.