APA-Nairobi (Kenya) Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, on Saturday announced a donation of €75 million (US$112m) to the United Nations World Food Programme in response to the critical hunger situation in the Horn of Africa.

The announcement followed the UN’s three-day World Summit on Food Security in the Italian capital and effectively doubles Spain’s contributions to WFP.

Rodriguez said Spain’s Master Plan for Development highlighted the need to keep on giving, whatever the economic climate.

“In times of crisis, development aid is more needed than ever, because the most needy are the ones who suffer the consequences,” she said in a statement issued to the press in Nairobi.

“In the face of extreme hunger, we have to respond efficiently and quickly. Delayed response increases the cost of the crises for all involved,” she added.

“This extraordinary contribution brings hope and help to the 20 million most vulnerable people that we are committed to assisting in the Horn of Africa," said Josette Sheeran, WFP Executive Director.

“Spain has been a model partner for WFP in spearheading both the response to high food prices and now, in taking the lead on our critical appeal for the Horn of Africa.”

The Spanish government has been steadily increasing its contributions to WFP particularly in the last few years.

Even before Saturday’s announcement, Spain was in WFP’s top ten of donor nations, having already donated €72 million to the UN agency this year.

WFP has been scaling up its operations in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, which have suffered due to a combination of prolonged drought, recurring conflict, continued high food prices and the global financial crisis.

In September it launched an emergency appeal for almost US$ 1 billion over the next six months, to provide millions of people throughout the region with food assistance.