HC Deb 26 February 2001 vol 363 cc530-1W
Mr. Luff

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of the severe weather in Mongolia this winter on the country's economy; and what steps her Department is taking to assist those adversely affected. [151315]

Clare Short

Mongolia has been hit by two consecutive winter disasters or "Dzuds" (1990–2000 and 2000–01) caused by widespread drought in the summer, unusually cold temperatures in the autumn and heavy snow fall in winter. These conditions are seriously affecting both animal and human welfare. Last year's dzud affected 450,000 herders and killed approximately 3 million livestock. This year's dzud is more serious. Over 300,000 herders are affected in 20 our of 21 provinces and 600,000 livestock have already died.

The Government of Mongolia have been active in disaster preparedness and relief assistance in dzud-affected areas. However, the two consecutive dzud have overstretched national capacity. The Government have therefore requested international relief assistance following a needs assessment, in which my Department was involved. An Appeal for $11.8 million has been launched by the Government through the United Nations.

The Appeal aims to target vulnerable groups on the most severely affected provinces and seeks to fulfil unmet relief needs. It focuses on building the disaster management of the Mongolian State Emergency Commission and other relevant national partners to enhance preparedness and future response.

We have provided US $1 million for the provision of emergency relief under the framework of the UN appeal to be channelled through humanitarian agencies working in Mongolia.