On 23 September the Government of Flanders decided to allocate 160,000 euros for Malawi Humanitarian Emergency Respond Fund for three years (2016-2018). This fund, administered by the UN, provides emergency assistance to more than 6.5 million Malawians. Their country is severely affected by alternating periods of extreme drought and floods caused by climate change and El Niño.

Flemish development cooperation has been supporting Malawi for more than a decade and was in 2012 one of the founders of this relief fund. This fund provides immediate humanitarian assistance so no time is lost gathering the necessary means. The Flemish contribution goes to the coordination of international emergency aid through the Humanitarian Country Team in Malawi.

Minister-president Bourgeois: "Good coordination is crucial to the efficiency of aid. Often there is a lack of resources on this point. Our long-term support is fully in line with the agreements of the World Humanitarian Summit made in May this year, namely to provide more predictable aid and support central relief funds of affected countries."