The United Nations'' Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on Tuesday called an August 18 meeting to coordinate the emergency response to the crisis in the Horn of Africa. According to the UN, over 12 million people are in need of assistance owing to drought across five eastern African countries, including Somalia - which is hardest hit and seeing famine conditions, dpa reported. All 191 member states of the FAO have been invited to Rome for the ministerial meeting, which will focus on immediate needs and long term solutions, the FAO said. "It is vital that we not only save lives today but also save the livelihoods on which people''s lives depend tomorrow," said Rod Charters, an emergency response expert at FAO. Last month, the first high-level meeting on the crisis called for more donations in the face of budget shortfalls. A week after the Rome talks, the African Union is to host its own ministerial gathering on the crisis.