§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many applications for aid have been made by non-Governmental organisations concerning aid projects in Ethiopia; and how many have been(a) accepted and (b) rejected. [104679]
§ Mr. FoulkesDuring the current financial year, DFID has received 10 applications from NGOs for humanitarian aid projects. Five of these have been accepted, four rejected, and one is currently under consideration.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement concerning the current humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea. [104677]
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§ Mr. FoulkesIn Ethiopia, recent estimates by the Government of Ethiopia, endorsed by the World Food Programme, give a total of 6.9 million people in need of food aid assistance due to adverse weather. An additional 385,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), from the war zone in the border area disputed with Eritrea, are also in need of assistance.
In Eritrea, the results of the conflict with Ethiopia are the principal cause of the present humanitarian situation. Those affected include 250,000 IDPs, a similar number of war-affected (mainly those households who have taken in IDPs) and 64,000 people who have been deported from Ethiopia. There are also some rural areas which are drought affected, and FAO is currently conducting a survey with the Eritrean Ministry of Agriculture to assess the extent of this problem.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made concerning the drought conditions in Ethiopia. [104678]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe Department for International Development (DFID) relies on the assessments of the United Nations, the Government of Ethiopia, NGOs and USAID in monitoring the drought conditions in Ethiopia. We do not seek to duplicate the work of these organisations. We employ a Field Manager in Addis Ababa who regularly participates in joint assessment missions with the Ethiopian Government and other donors, participates in food aid co-ordination meetings and visits areas identified for potential DFID assistance. The official is backed up by regular visits from a senior natural resources adviser based in London.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her Department's policy on the provision of development aid to(a) Ethiopia and (b) Sudan. [104676]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe UK is completing current commitments in Ethiopia and continuing to provide humanitarian assistance but will not agree any new funding proposals until the war with Eritrea has ended.
UK Development Aid to Sudan ceased in January 1991. Substantial humanitarian assistance to Sudan has continued since then.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response her Department has made to the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission's appeal, entitled Emergency Relief Needs in Ethiopia-January-March 2000. [104681]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe Department for International Development's (DFID) policy is to channel emergency food relief through NGOs or UN agencies.
Current and planned projects which are relevant to this Appeal are as follows:
DFID has recently approved a £1.1 million project for provision of 3,000 metric tonnes (mt) of emergency food aid to Konso, in the southern region of Ethiopia. This will be distributed between 263W January and April 2000, through a project implemented by the British NGO, FARM Africa, in collaboration with Ethiopian local government agencies.We are already funding a 3,000 mt food aid intervention in Koisha, southern region, which runs to the end of January. DFID is presently reviewing a proposal for a further 6,240 mt of food aid to be distributed through an NGO project in Wollo, Amhara Region.We are also contributing indirectly through EU food aid commitments.