New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaks during an interview at the New Zealand embassy in Beijing on 25 March, 2023. Photo: GREG BAKER / AFP
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced $7.75m in aid will be provided to support Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia as the countries face severe drought.
She announced the funding as part of a United Nations pledging event in New York.
It would include $5.75m paid to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Programme and the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund.
Another $2m would be provided through the New Zealand Disaster Response Partnership, with non-government organisations matching the funding, to respond to food insecurity.
Those NGOs include World Vision New Zealand, ChildFund New Zealand, Save the Children New Zealand, Tearfund New Zealand, ADRA New Zealand, and cbm New Zealand.
Mahuta said the Horn of Africa was facing its most severe drought in decades after five consecutive failed rainy seasons.
"At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia," she said.