HARARE- The United Nations (UN) has allocated US$9 million to boost the humanitarian response to Zimbabwe, where conditions remain dire despite formation of a unity government five months ago to tackle the countrys long running humanitarian crisis.The new funds bring to $26 million cash provided to Zimbabwe this year from the world bodys Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). “The additional funding will augment the humanitarian community’s efforts in support of the government of Zimbabwe to alleviate the suffering of many Zimbabweans,” UN humanitarian coordinator for Zimbabwe Agostinho Zacarias said in statement.
“In the past, the CERF contributed to saving lives by containing the cholera outbreak, providing food to vulnerable populations and supporting vital social services including health and education at a critical point in the country’s history,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s overall humanitarian situation remains acute, with more resources need to provide food to millions of hungry people and to restore water and sewer systems in urban areas to prevent a resurgence of cholera in the next rain season in less than five months time.
Western leaders, although reluctant to give financial assistance to President Robert Mugabes coalition government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, have promised to keep humanitarian aid flowing.
Once a net food exporter Zimbabwe has faced food shortages since Mugabes controversial land reform programme that he launched in 2000 and which has seen agricultural output plummet because the government failed to provide blacks resettled on former white farms with inputs and skills training to maintain production.
Poor performance in the mainstay agricultural sector has also had far reaching consequences as hundreds of thousands of people have lost jobs while the manufacturing sector, starved of inputs from the sector, is operating below 15 percent of capacity.
A unity government formed by Tsvangirai and Mugabe last February is pushing to revive the economy although it has to date failed to ensure law and order in the mainstay agricultural sector where mobs of supporters of Mugabes Zanu (PF) party continue harassing the few remaining white commercial farmers.Harare is scouting for US$10 billion to fund its economic recovery programme.
Post published in: News