 The United Nations is appealing for a full $7 billion in funding ahead of the upcoming UN Horn of Africa pledging conference shuttle to start later this week. Although no famine was declared in the region, the International Rescue Committee alongside with UN is saying the appeal is necessary to help communities struggling to survive in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. The amount of nutrition rates in Somalia doubled and drought is believed to have destroyed millions of livestock, a major source of livelihood for people living in the region. The $7 billion aid is expected to help provide new innovative ways to evade future crises in the region and assist local communities to be resilient in the face of drought in the future.