§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact which the decision of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to commence foreign currency auctions will have on the ability of aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance in the country. [147775]
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§ Hilary BennAs a result of the new auction system, the sale of foreign exchange at a realistic rate within Zimbabwe is now legal. This should make financial operations easier for aid agencies when exchanging their foreign exchange for Zimbabwe dollars and we do not expect it to have any negative impact on the ability of aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much money his Department has contributed since the start of the 2003–04 financial year through(a) non-governmental organisations and (b) UN feeding programmes to assist the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe; and how much he plans to spend in 2004–05; [148542]
(2) if he will formally request the Government of Zimbabwe to release the results of its vulnerability assessment; [148583]
(3) if he will formally request the Government of Zimbabwe to release a revised crop forecast and the assumptions on which it is based; [148584]
(4) if he will list the areas in Zimbabwe which suffer from (a) raised levels of malnutrition, (b) unmet needs and (c) continuing dependence on food aid. [148642]
§ Hilary BennThe information requested is as follows:
Financial
1. So far this financial year DFID have spent £20.5 million in Zimbabwe, from a total budget of £35 million. Of the total budget, we have committed £5 million to WFP for general food distribution and we are considering a further contribution. £19 million will be channelled through NGOs for targeted food distributions and subsistence farming inputs. The remaining funds are for HIV/AIDS mitigation, prevention and basic vaccines. Due to the anticipated continuation of the humanitarian crisis, funding for the financial year 2004–05 is expected to be at a similar level.
Vulnerability assessment
2. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) conducts the national vulnerability assessments that form the basis of the humanitarian response. This committee is composed of government, NGO and UN Agencies' representatives. The most recent assessment undertaken by the ZimVAC is the Urban Vulnerability Assessment, which the Government are expected to release by the end of this month.
Crop forecast
3. Initial government crop forecasts are usually made by the end of January. However, given the present capacity of the Government, these are unlikely to be accurate or reliable. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation are already working on their own forecasts which should also be available at the end of January. Preliminary estimates by one of the major donors suggest a harvest of around 500,000 MT of maize. This compares to a 2003 cereal harvest of about 900,000 MT and a cereal requirement of approximately 2 million MT.
Malnutrition
4.(a) The most recent national nutrition survey, conducted in February 2003, showed that levels of acute malnutrition were relatively low throughout Zimbabwe (approximately 5 per cent.) in comparison to other 1154W food-based emergencies, suggesting the effective coverage of the humanitarian relief operation. However, levels of severe acute malnutrition are disproportionately high relative to levels of moderate malnutrition, suggesting a high incidence of paediatric HIV/AIDS. Provinces with the highest rates of acute malnutrition were Manicaland (6.6 per cent.) and Midlands (6.0 per cent.).
Unmet needs
(b) Unmet needs exist most evidently in areas that were not addressed by the original UN WFP operation in the expectation that the Zimbabwean Government would make food and agricultural inputs available. These areas include the former commercial farming areas and urban centres such as Harare and Bulawayo. The humanitarian community is working to address these needs.
Food aid dependence
(c) Dependence on food aid is a concern, particularly in areas of low employment and agricultural activity, such as Binga District where approximately 90 per cent. of the population are dependent on food aid. DFID is working in collaboration with development partners to reduce food aid dependence by providing agricultural inputs to enable subsistence farmers to grow food crops to feed themselves.
§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assistance his Department(a) has given and (b) plans to give to humanitarian aid workers affected by the banking crisis in Zimbabwe; [148637]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the banking crisis in Zimbabwe on the ability to (a) pay aid workers and (b) deliver aid; [148688]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the impact on food aid to Zimbabwe arising from the estimated $111 million shortfall in donations to the World Food Programme. [148689]
§ Hilary BennThe information is as follows:Humanitarian aid workers affected by the banking crisis
My Department is in frequent contact with the nongovernmental organisations delivering UK funded humanitarian aid in Zimbabwe. The banking crisis has not significantly affected their operating capacity so far but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Impact of the banking crisis
The main impact of the banking crisis has been that cheques from a few, generally newer, banks were not accepted by a number of retailers and the more established banks. Few, if any, of the aid agencies and their employees working with my Department have accounts with these banks. Following the intervention of the Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, these affected banks are now clearing their cheques again and individuals have been able to access their accounts.
WFP funding shortfall
On 16 January 2004 the World Food Programme's appeal of approximately US$195 million for the current emergency operation in Zimbabwe was 80 per cent. funded. The funding shortfall is therefore approximately US$39 million. DFID have already committed £5 million to WFP operations in Zimbabwe 1155W this financial year and we are currently considering a further pledge. DFID will contribute approximately £30 million to humanitarian operations this year and has contributed a total of £62 million since the start of the crisis in September 2001.