DEMARCHE DELIVERED FOOD CRISIS ETHIOPIA, SOMALIA, AND KENYA

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000732 SIPDIS FOR DEPARTMENT DRL, NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/20/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL EAID ER SO ET KE AE SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED FOOD CRISIS ETHIOPIA, SOMALIA, AND KENYA REF: STATE 70789 Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. ¶1. (U) Reftel demarche request for urgent food aid to Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya was delivered to the MFA without response on July ¶9. ¶2. (U) Ambassador delivered demarche points to UAE Red Crescent Chairman Mohammad al-Qamsi July 12. (Note: the UAE Red Crescent is one of several quasi-Governmental organizations through which the UAEG distributes assistance funds to UN organizations such as UNDP and UNWRA as well as other international NGOs. End Note.) Ambassador encouraged the UAEG to work through UNICEF and the WFP to respond to this urgent need for humanitarian relief. ¶3. (SBU) Al-Qamsi, who is relatively new to his position, explained that as far as he was aware, UAE humanitarian assistance in Africa was heavily concentrated in Sudan, but that the UAE stood ready to help needy people anywhere, and he would be looking into what the UAE might be doing already, and where further contributions could be made to respond to this current crisis. ¶4. (U) Pol Chief met with Executive Director of the Khalifa Foundation, (an organization founded by the Abu Dhabi ruling family though which the UAE funds significant portions of its international assistance),Mohamed al-Khouri July 8. Al-Khouri mentioned UAE-funded basic needs programs run by international NGOs in Kenya and Sudan, but was unaware of UAE donor participation in the current crisis. ¶5. (SBU) Embassy will continue to raise this issue with the appropriate officials. OLSON