Ethiopia (Hansard, 25 November 2002)

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what(a) the European Union's and (b) her Department's response has been to the drought and food shortages in Ethiopia. [80576]

§ Clare Short
So far we have made food and non-food humanitarian commitments of some £12.3 million in calendar year 2002. The EC has committed euro 23 million for 97,000 metric tonnes of food aid to cover food needs until the end of 2002. In addition to the food aid provision the EC has approved a euro 4 million programme of humanitarian aid for the victims of drought, which includes providing water and sanitation, supporting health services and providing targeted supplementary and therapeutic feeding. DFID provides funding for nearly 20 percent, of EC assistance.

§ Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how(a) the UK Government and (b) the European Union is responding to the most recent appeal from the World Food Programme for food for Ethiopia. [80602]

§ Clare Short
The World Food Programme considers current pledges of food aid to be sufficient to meet needs until mid-January 2003, but they remain concerned30W about prospects for February and March, when needs are expected to be high. In terms of physical stocks the Ethiopian Food Security Reserve is expected on current estimates to have sufficient food available until April. The European Commission has informed us that they have made available euro 23 million, of which the DFID share is nearly euro 4.6 million, which is equivalent to 97,000 metric tonnes of food aid, to cover food needs until the end of 2002. This total includes euro 5 million, which is equivalent to 13,000 metric tonnes of food aid, to be provided through the World Food Programme. The Commission is also looking at the best ways to provide timely and effective assistance to address the emerging food crisis in 2003.
We are taking careful note of the WFP and Government of Ethiopia reports and appeals and keeping the situation under continuous review. As always we remain committed to playing our part in the international response to humanitarian need.