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Dept for International Development

Answer

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide a breakdown of how the £1 million contribution to the Emergency Operation Appeal in the Western Sahara will be spent. [98583] Clare Short: My Department is contributing £1 million to the World Food Program to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to populations affected by drought and crop failure within the Western Sahel. Assistance will be focussed mainly in Mauritania, but will also include Cape Verde, Senegal, The Gambia, and Mali. WFP has identified that 578,550 persons are affected by severe food insecurity or are in need of emergency intervention to prevent deterioration in their food and nutritional status. The operation is planned to last twelve months and will distribute 55,365 tons of food. 120,000 people in the Aftout region of Mauritania, the most severely affected area, will receive full ration enriched meals (2,100 Kcal); a further 384,550 beneficiaries in Mauritania, Cape Verde, Senegal and The Gambia will receive reduced ration meals (1,800 kcal); and 74,000 beneficiaries in the regions of Kayes and Koulikoro in Mali will receive cereal rations only (1,050 kcal). My Department is making available a further £570,804 to Oxfam, who will act as an implementing partner for WFP. Oxfam are well established within the region and will distribute the food supplied by WFP. Oxfam will undertake targeted food distribution to 36,280 of the most vulnerable people in the Aftout region, along with the provision of seeds, tools, pesticides and fencing materials to support vegetable gardening. Further capacity building measures will include studies into safe drinking water, food security and nutritional surveillance.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

98583; 400 c274-5W;400 c272-3W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Development aid Disasters Finance Humanitarian aid Food aid Western Sahara World Food Programme

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk