Global Policy Forum

The United Nations World Food Programme launched a massive appeal in New York recently for emergency relief food to six countries in Southern Africa, where millions of people are facing starvation.

The agency is asking for US $507 million to fund close to one million tonnes of food, enough to feed 10,2 million people until the next harvest in March 2003.

WFP, which has been providing emergency food aid in the region since last year, has only one-quarter of the food requirements it needs for the next three months. "This is WFP's largest emergency operation but it needs donations to succeed and those donations are needed now," said Mr James Morris, the WFP executive director.

"Southern Africa is already facing an extremely severe crisis, which will only worsen in the coming months."

However, he said, it is still possible for the international community to avert a catastrophe by responding rapidly to this appeal.

The humanitarian crisis is affecting Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland, which experienced the worst drought for a decade. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation/WFP crop and food supply assessment missions in six affected countries approximately 1,2 million tonnes of emergency cereal relief will be needed to help around 12,8 million people who are in need of food assistance.

WFP said the food relief would be targeted primarily at the most vulnerable households - such as families affected by HIV and Aids, those headed by women, children and the elderly.

"The magnitude of the crisis demands that everyone rallies together to save people's lives," said Mr Morris.

"No single organisation can hope to deal with this crisis on its own."

Many donors have already recognised this and have contributed to WFP's previous appeals in Southern Africa: US with US$36,9 million, European Community US$9,6 million, Britain US$3,4 million, German US$2,8 million, Sweden US$2,3 million, Japan US$3,1 million and Australia US$2,4 million.

Finland donated US$675 000, Switzerland US$542 000, Canada US$314 000, Ireland US$281 000, South Korea US$150 000 and South Africa US$43 000.

Each of the six countries has been affected by different problems to a different degree.

Zimbabwe has spent US$25 million in procuring 400 000 tonnes of maize from South Africa, Kenya, China and Brazil to cover the deficit that followed a drop in the country's output from 2,1 million tonnes in 2000 to 1,54 million tonnes last year.

Last week the Government also announced plans to import an additional 200 000 tonnes of maize to cover a deficit on the local market. This will bring the total of imported maize to date to 600 000 tonnes since the country began importing the commodity.

Zimbabwe is traditionally self-sufficient and an exporter of surplus food. It has not been a beneficiary of international food aid for its own people since 1992, when the worst drought in living memory struck the entire region.

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