§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. [115426]
§ Hilary BennZimbabwe is still facing an acute humanitarian crisis. Although there is likely to be a modest increase in the maize crop, many Zimbabweans will remain vulnerable due to a poorly managed and funded Government food distribution programme; dramatic economic decline—particularly rising inflation and unemployment; and chronic illness (particularly AIDS).
People in the south and west, where there has been little or no crop, are particularly vulnerable, as are approximately 200,000 farm workers—perhaps 1 million people with their families—who lost livelihoods after the fast track land programme. DFID is awaiting more details on the numbers and the location of populations at risk from the national vulnerability assessment, FAO/WFP crop survey and the national nutrition survey, which will give more precise information on the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
DFID support for the humanitarian crisis will continue in 2003–4 through NGOs and UN feeding programmes. At this stage we envisage the DFID response will be on similar scale to last year.
§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how much food aid is reaching the people of Zimbabwe. [115440]
§ Hilary BennIn the last year, the Government of Zimbabwe has imported 700,000 tonnes of maize, though the targeting and distribution of this food has not been transparent and has been criticised by Zimbabweans as erratic and biased. Many areas have received no 285W distribution from Government sources for up to six months. Donors have imported and distributed around 300,000 tonnes of maize. This has been distributed to vulnerable people according to humanitarian principles and has been monitored closely.
The national nutrition and health survey is expected to confirm that, overall, the aid effort in the last year has been successful, although there are areas with raised levels of malnutrition, unmet needs and continuing dependence on food aid. The prospects for the coming year remain dismal. The Government of Zimbabwe have yet to release a revised crop forecast or the results of a vulnerability assessment and the afore-mentioned national health and nutrition survey. They have no public plans to address the situation, and it seems likely that despite a higher maize harvest, the need for humanitarian assistance may be as high or even greater than last year as the collapsing economy limits the Governments capacity to import food.