§ Norman LambTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what action he intends to take in respect of the World Health Organisation's call for supplies and funds to combat the health crisis in Liberia; and if he will make a statement. [125303]
§ Hilary BennI refer the hon. Member to my statement of 25 June 2003,Official Report, column 39WS.
The World Health Organisation's appeal for supplies and funds to provide healthcare to Liberians is one of several urgent requests that we have received in recent weeks from the international humanitarian community.
179WDFID has committed £1.5 million in response to the present crisis in Liberia, in addition to the £1 million we gave to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Medecins sans Frontieres in March 2003. We have allocated £500,000 to ICRC, £374,000 to Merlin and £316,000 to Save the Children Fund (UK).
We shall commit the balance of the funding available to agencies that have access to those in need and continue to keep the situation under close review.
§ Norman LambTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Liberia; and if he will make a statement on security conditions for aid agencies operating in Liberia. [125304]
§ Hilary BennOur information on the humanitarian situation in Liberia is provided by the United Nations and the other international humanitarian agencies that are maintaining a presence there. Although the UN has plans to return expatriate personnel to the country as soon as conditions allow, for now they are relying on information from their country staff and the international non-Government organisations. Only a few agencies have an expatriate presence in Liberia and this is limited mainly to the capital, Monrovia.
The reports we are receiving describe the conditions as very poor. Humanitarian activities are severely hampered by looting of vehicles, fuel, medical supplies and food by all the main parties to the conflict. There are severe shortages, especially of food and clean water. Sanitation is virtually non-existent, and with around one-third of the population now located within Monrovia, the impact on an already over-stretched infrastructure is serious. We have little hard information on the situation outside the capital.
Cholera cases are reported to be significantly above the norm. Hospitals (of which only one has been functioning recently) and health centres are finding it difficult to cope. It is vital that the present lull in the fighting continues to enable the international community to re-engage, with access to all areas.
We have allocated £1.5 million in response to the recent deterioration in the humanitarian situation, in addition to £1 million that we allocated in March 2003. We are liaising closely with the principal agencies concerned. We and other donors will be joining with members of the UN and other humanitarian agencies at a meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on 17 and 18 July 2003 to discuss the situation across the west Africa sub-region, including Liberia.