HIGHLIGHTS Southern African Humanitarian Crisis Update ● On 20 August 2004, the A report prepared by Government of Zimbabwe gazetted the “NGO Bill”, which seeks to establish a non-governmental Council that will oversee: (a) a registration process for NGOs; (b) the formulation UNRIACSO of a code of conduct for United Nations Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Support Office NGOs; (c) the adherence to for the Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa the code of conduct (i.e. administrative and financial Monthly Update obligations). The decision October 2004 caused unrest among Zimbabwe’s civil society. RIACSO provides support to national efforts in addressing the southern African triple threat of food insecurity, weakened capacity for governance and HIV/AIDS ● The NGO Centre for and ensures cohesion and complementarity of the effort at a regional level. In Social Concern, based in addition, RIACSO supports the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Malawi capital Lilongwe, Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, Mr. James Morris, in his mandate to reported that the cost of the raise awareness of the situation, its underlying causes and to provide monthly basic needs basket recommendations on how to strengthen the response and mobilise donor has increased with nearly support. 25% from around 11,000 Malawian Kwacha (about US $101) in January to MK 13,500 (about $124) at the end of July. If this trend
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● A preliminary report from g i e
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l WFP mission to Chemba, s Speaking out against gender violence Maringue and Buzi districts UNFPA sponsors public debate in in central Sofala province of Mozambique, indicates a South Africa worsening food security situation. REGIONAL AND COUNTRY SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENTS
● Urgent contributions are Malawi government appeals for food assistance required for the regional Following a poor harvest in much of southern Malawi and indications of a EMOP 10290 for Lesotho, reduced winter crop, his Excellency President Bingu Wa Muthanika of Malawi Malawi, Mozambique, convened a special meeting of cabinet ministers and key development partners Swaziland, Zambia and on Saturday 18 September to review the country’s worsening food security Zimbabwe. The EMOP situation and come to a consensus on the way forward. At the end of the needs 58,400 tons of food meeting, the President requested that the meeting be considered as a special to cover shortfalls from appeal. In this regard, numerous pledges were made from key donors, including August through December DFID (5 million pounds), the EU (600,000 euro for 2004 and 2.8 million euro for and to provide carry over 2005) and USAID (30,000 MT for 2005). stocks for the first month of the regional PRRO, At the meeting, development partners commended the government of Malawi for expected to start in January the initiation of dialogue with the private sector regarding food imports into 2005. 1
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Malawi. It was noted that in order to prevent further price increases in maize, these discussions should be expedited as a matter of urgency. Since August, maize prices have increased sharply, up to 44% in some areas. Simelarly, the use of the Strategic Grain Reserves was being discussed, in particular the timing of the release of the reserves.
The Malawi component of the WFP regional EMOP, Targeted Relief to Vulnerable Households in Southern Africa, urgently requires 11,000 tons of food to meet essential needs between now and December. In view of the worsening food security situation in the country, WFP has made an urgent request to donors for contributions.
Child death rate on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa UNICEF’s “Progress for Children” report, launched on 7 October, shows that in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa child mortality rates have increased as compared to 1990, the baseline year for measuring progress on child survival. HIV/AIDS was identified as one of the chief underlying causes for this reversing trend.
Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, which registered the second, third and fourth fastest increases in under-five deaths, also have the world’s highest national HIV prevalence rates - about 37, 25 and 39 per cent, respectively.
Other causes
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SECTORAL DEVELOPMENTS
1. Food security
Food security in Zimbabwe decreasing according to FOSENET The June/July 2004 FOSENET food security monitoring report noted that food availability due to lower crop yields in particular was decreasing in sentinel sites in 22 districts, mainly in Masvingo, Manicaland, Matabeleland South and North provinces. This is consistent with the ZIMVAC April 2004 findings and reports from other humanitarian agencies. The report also noted that 39% of the households had stocks lasting less than a month. As households run out of food from their own production, more and more households will depend on Grain Marketing Board for their food requirements. During the month of July there was a marginal increase in GMB deliveries, 13% of the districts reported GMB deliveries to their local depots. The FOSENET report noted that already three sentinel sites are relying on the Grain Marketing Board for their cereal requirements. In August, the Government indicated that they will use the public works programme to assist vulnerable households in accessing food, however the FOSENET report noted that the public works programme is only operational in two districts, Shurugwi and Tsholotsho. The programme was reportedly suspended in Kariba urban, Chimanani, Chipinge, Makoni, Mutasa, Guruve, Rushinga, Makonde, Gokwe, Bikita, Masvingo rural and Zaka, due to funding problems.
2. Health
Maternal mortality on the rise in Zimbabwe 2
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Maternal mortality rates have increased dramatically in Zimbabwe in the last fifteen years. According to the 1999 Demographic and Health Survey for Zimbabwe (DHS) figures had risen from 293 per 100,000 live births in 1994 to 695 per 100,000 live births and are now expected to be even higher. The results of a joint Ministry of Health and Child Welfare and World Health Organization Rapid Assessment of Access to Health Services in hard reach areas, conducted in November 2003, indicate that much more needs to be done to address and ensure the adequate provision of reproductive and maternal health. The assessment found that more than 80% of the communities had to travel more than five kilometres to the nearest health facility. Although antenatal care was high, delivery in health facilities was low. Only 54% of the health facilities visited had nurse midwives and there were general inadequate supply of essential obstetric drugs. The Assessment made a number of recommendations including more focus on community based initiatives, such as more training of traditional midwives, and strengthening the reproductive health care services management as well as addressing institutional capacity. The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, with technical and financial support from UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA have conducted a comprehensive obstetric health assessment to better understand the situation in the country and be able to better determine key areas of intervention. The data has been collected and the results are expected to be available by the end of the year.
3. Protection Displacement of settlers in Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe At least 300 homesteads on three adjacent farms (Little England, Inkomo and Darum) in Mashonaland West province in Zimbabwe, approximately 45 kilometers from Harare, have been burnt after residents ignored previously served eviction orders. The owners of the homesteads were considered illegal squatters by the government, and it is believed that the reason for the evictions is to make way for the official new settlers under the Government’s Land Reform Programme to whom the land had been allocated.
It is estimated that approximately 200 of the evicted families (1,000 people) have no other place to go to and are, as a result, still living in the open; with the other 100 families having left for various destinations. The humanitarian needs of these 200 families include: food; shelter; protection, including from sexual exploitation as many of the displaced are women and children; clean water and sanitation facilities; health and educational assistance.
Reformulate Zambia repartiation The Fourth meeting of the Zambia-Angola-UNHCR Tripartite Commission for the Organised Voluntary Repatriation of Angolan Refugees from Zambia was held on 16-17 September 2004 in Lusaka, with the participation of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and World Food Programme (WFP) as observers.
The Commission reviewed the progress made in the organised voluntary repatriation operation, and agreed to intensify its efforts to assist Angolan refugees who have already expressed the wish to return to Angola this year. Accordingly, a revised movement plan worked out by IOM was adopted by the meeting to assist a total of 32,245 Angolan refugees for 2004, including 12,218 by land and 20,027 by air.
The Commission also made an appeal for donors to assist with additional contributions required by IOM for an amount of USD 1.8 million to complete its task of moving all these refugees to Angola this year.
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The Commission recommended that specific actions be undertaken in order to ensure that the revised plan for 2004 is implemented.
The Zambian delegation was led by Home Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mr. Peter Mumba who also chaired the meeting, while the Angola delegation was led by Ms. Nilsa de Fatima Pereira Batalha, National Director of Assistance and Social Promotion (MINARS). Mr. Ebrima Camara, Deputy Director, Africa Bureau headed the UNHCR delegation.
Some 11,000 Angolan refugees have so far been repatriated from Zambia by air and road.
WFP is currently providing food assistance to about 100,000 refugees (78 percent) out of approximately 128,000 refugees resident in the six camps in Zambia under PRRO 10071.1, Food Assistance for Refugees from Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo. About 2,000 refugees, including malnourished children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating women, chronically ill and TB patients, are receiving High Energy Protein Supplements and oil under supplementary feeding through health centres.
(b) Since June this year, more than 7,000 Angolan refugees have repatriated to Lumbala Nguimbo and Huambo. WFP is facilitating the repatriation by providing wet rations to the returnees at transit and departure centres as well as Humanitarian Daily Rations to the returnees during their daytime travel. Approximately 2,000 tons of food are required to avoid a pipeline break of this operation in November.
4. Development
5. HIV/AIDS
Zambian Government declares HIV/AIDS an emergency HIV/AIDS in Zambia has been officially recognised as an emergency. The emergency period would run from August 2004 to July 2009. In a statement released in Lusaka, Commerce Trade and Industry Minister, Dipak Patel, signed a statutory instrument on Thursday 2nd September 2004, which would, among other things, allow the local manufacture of generic Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs) during the 5-year emergency period. The key conditions of the instrument are that ARVs manufactured during the emergency period would only be used in Zambia and those manufacturing and vending them would require written authorisation.
At least 16% of Zambia’s 10.2 million people are believed to be infected with the HIV. The Government is targeting to have 100,000 on ARVs by the end of 2005.
Zimbabwe RC/HC statement on Global Fund decision not to approve 4th round proposals The United Nations in Zimbabwe is disappointed that the Board of the Global Fund to Fight, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) did not approve the country’s Fourth Round proposals. However, we welcome the appeal that has been submitted by Zimbabwe. We now must respect the appeal process and await its outcome.
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Meanwhile, the UN has been working closely with the Government and other partners to secure signature of the grant agreement for the proposal that the country put to the GFATM nearly two years ago under the First Round. The UN remains confident that with continued dedication and perseverance by all parties concerned this agreement will be signed shortly and implementation can start immediately thereafter.
I also want to take this opportunity to emphasise that the fight against HIV and AIDS should be our unifying and foremost priority. In this regard, the UN Team in Zimbabwe will continue to strive for additional resources to fight the pandemic and to promote enhanced collaboration and coordination in ongoing and planned operations. Above all, we must be guided by the needs of those living with HIV and AIDS who desperately call for our support. Considering international humanitarian principles, and the mandate of the United Nations, it is only right that their needs be our overriding concern
Lewis on Lesotho
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COORDINATION
SAHIMS Swaziland SAHIMS (Southern Africa Humanitarian Information Management) has facilitated the establishment of a platform to strengthen information management in Swaziland. www.sahims.net/swazirelief is to be formally launched on September 28 by the Resident Coordinator in collaboration with officials from the GoS and NGOs. The platform is one of several that are being established by SAHIMS at the country level in the southern African region designed to enhance and harmonize the management of information critical for humanitarian and disaster assistance planning and programming.
SPECIAL FOCUS
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