---

Southern Africa: Food Crisis

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Assessments in southern Africa have identified that more than 10 million people are likely to face food shortages in the period up to April 2006 in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. Both the UN Secretary-General and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme have written to donor governments about this. The Scale of the ProblemCountry assessments are carried out by national committees and are co-ordinated regionally by the Southern African Development Committee (SADC). They consider whether households will be able to access their normal food requirements between harvests. Assessment reports can be found on the website of the Southern African Development Committee at www.sadc.int. The figures include those with potential food shortages ranging from 1 per cent to more than 80 per cent of their normal food requirements. The breakdown by country is as follows: Zimbabwe: The Zimbabwe Government have not yet published the national assessment but independent estimates range from 3 million to 5 million people facing food shortages over the coming months. This is as a result of erratic rains, HIV/AIDS and bad governance. The World Food Programme, with support from DfID, is presently providing food aid for 1 million vulnerable people, mainly children. Operations will grow as the numbers in need increase. In addition, the government of Zimbabwe's forced clearance of unauthorised dwellings earlier this year, Operation Murambatsvina (““Clean Up””), displaced or destroyed the livelihoods of 700,000 people, making poverty and food shortages worse in both urban and rural areas. The Zimbabwe Government's own efforts to mitigate the suffering caused by their mass evictions have been very limited, and in some instances, the government have obstructed the wider humanitarian effort; for example, by refusing to accept the provision of tents and other temporary shelters for those without shelter. Despite these difficulties, a range of UN and non-governmental agencies are operating relief programmes reaching 40,000 affected households, including those affected by HIV and AIDS, with food, blankets, medical care and other essential items. It is a tragedy that humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe have been exacerbated by the disastrous policies of the government, which have led to economic collapse and social and political crises. Malawi: Up to 4.2 million people could face food shortages, though this number could rise to 4.6 million if prices rise sharply. The government and the World Food Programme have started a co-ordinated emergency programme targeting the 2.7 million most vulnerable people. A range of other safety nets are in place, such as food for work and cash for work programmes, and the government have taken steps to increase the import of maize available for purchase through government and commercial channels. A UN appeal for $88 million was launched in September covering food aid and distribution of seeds and fertiliser. $28 million has been contributed to the appeal, including $9 million (£5 million) from the UK Government. Zambia: At least 1.2 million people in the southern, western and eastern provinces could face food shortages before the next harvest in February-March 2006. The government are still considering whether an emergency appeal is needed. In the meantime, the World Food Programme and an NGO consortium are distributing food aid. Mozambique: Up to 587,000 people could face food shortages, mostly in the south of the country. There is no emergency programme but the World Food Programme is distributing some food aid and the government have established a range of safety nets, such as food for work programmes and free or subsidised seed distribution so that the poorest households have enough seeds to plant for next year. Lesotho: About 440,000 people could face food shortages. These are virtually all in households that suffer from chronic food insecurity. The government are trying to respond through safety nets, including through a recently introduced old age pension. Swaziland: About 225,000 people could face food shortages in households that suffer from chronic food insecurity. As in Lesotho, other responses to chronic hunger, apart from food aid, are being encouraged, such as provision of seeds and fertiliser to poorer households. What are the UK Government doing?In response to this emerging crisis, the UK Government have already allocated this year more than £57 million in humanitarian assistance for the region. Some of this has been channelled through UN agencies and some has gone through governments or NGOs. The breakdown of our commitments so far this year is as follows: Zimbabwe: £40 million covering relief programmes for up to 3 million people provided through non-government channels, including contributions to the, World Food Programme, HIV/AIDS programmes and responses to those affected by Operation Murambatsvina. Malawi: Over £15 million towards the government's emergency food distribution, helping to purchase maize, options on additional maize, and seeds, support to the government's logistics and early warning capacity and support to UNICEF's nutrition rehabilitation units. Government of Malawi planning for the emergency began in March with help from early pledges from the UK. Zambia: £430,000 to the World Food Programme for food aid distribution to 3,280 households with at least one person enrolled in a medical treatment programme across the affected provinces, and £1 million to Oxfam for cash transfers to 14,350 households in Western Province. Together these will reach more than 100,000 people. Mozambique: £355,000 for cash for work programmes and provision of seeds to poor households. Lesotho: £350,000 for distribution of seeds and fertilisers and small-scale livestock interventions. Swaziland: £300,000 for distribution of seeds and fertilisers and other necessary help for vulnerable households. Information systems for assessing and monitoring needs are improving in southern Africa with support from DfID. The capacity of national governments to respond to humanitarian needs remains limited though and it is essential that the international community reacts quickly when the assessments indicate that action is needed. I have urged EU member states to respond speedily and will follow up with them when we meet later this month. I have also remained in contact with the UN on the international community's response. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Gareth Thomas, recently visited Malawi and Zambia to discuss the food shortages with the governments and people on the ground in these countries, and I have had discussions with Mr James Morris, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme. The Wider ChallengeWhile the position in each country is different, there are high levels of chronic hunger across the region which reflect not just the depth of poverty but also the shockingly high levels of HIV and AIDS across southern Africa. We need to tackle emergency food needs effectively. But that in itself will not end chronic hunger. We are therefore also making greater efforts to work with governments to develop and implement safety nets, such as regular grants of cash and/or food, that will protect the most vulnerable households that regularly need emergency help. These include the elderly, orphans and vulnerable children, the disabled and others that simply cannot find work. Early warning has helped to ensure that governments and the international community work together to meet humanitarian needs in southern Africa, but we will continue to monitor the position closely and be ready to take further action if necessary. In Zimbabwe, we will work closely with the UN and other donors to do all we can to address the increasing suffering of poor people there. At the end of last year, I also called upon the international community to support the establishment in the UN of a large, central fund to speed up the response to humanitarian emergencies and to support wider reforms of the international system to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Progress is being made, with widespread endorsement of our reform proposals being achieved at the UN Millennium Review Summit in September and detailed follow up work now underway. So far six countries have agreed to commit $150 million to this fund next year; the UK's contribution will be $70 million (£40 million). We are pressing hard to ensure further countries contribute in time to get the fund working in the New Year.