Zim, UN launch USD$3 bn appeal for aid

Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe and the United Nations on Thursday launched a combined US$3 billion humanitarian assistance appeal for the country to cover food aid in the wake of a devastating drought, and education and health, especially Covid-19.

In its appeal, the government said it required at least US$2.2 billion to
cover mainly food import needs from April 2020 to April 2021, while the
United Nations pleaded for an additional US$770 million for the country.

The government’s appeal covers a broader area of focus including social
protection, agriculture, shelter, livestock, wildlife and logistics.

It comes in the wake of one of the worst droughts the country has ever
suffered, which has sharply reduced crop output, especially of the staple
maize food.

Already, the country is importing maize from other regional countries
following another poor agricultural season last year.

The consecutive droughts have left around five million people, according
to the United Nations, food insecure and requiring support.

Most other countries in southern Africa also face food shortages this year
due to drought.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, launching the international appeal, said he had “no doubt our co-operating partners will come forward and mitigate the
challenges which we are facing.”

“We are happy that as Zimbabwe we are collaborating with the UN Agencies in Zimbabwe. We have signed these two documents, one is by us, the Zimbabwe Domestic and International Humanitarian Appeal for Assistance to the international community and we have no doubt that our cooperating partners will come forward and mitigate the challenges which we are facing,” he said.

“The United Nations itself is launching its Humanitarian Response Plan
to assist us to respond to the current pandemic in the country. We believe that with this support, Zimbabwe will be able to respond reasonably to the current challenges we are facing.”

On its part, the UN said it was seeking a further US$700 million in aid
for Zimbabwe, focusing mainly on health – Covid-19 in particular – and also
education.

UN Resident Coordinator, Maria Ribeiro said the humanitarian response plan
had been developed before the emergence of the coronavirus, but a supplementary budget had now been included to deal with the pandemic.

“The plan looks at assisting a target of 5.3 million Zimbabweans in health, food security, water and sanitation, education and protection. We have also included a supplement which addresses the most urgent needs in terms of the coronavirus response. It’s not definitive response plan but is indicative of the resources that are needed,” she said.

“The total figure for the humanitarian response plan is $700 million
and the supplement relating to the coronavirus is an additional US$70
million.”

The twin effects of drought and the coronavirus are expected to badly knock
down the country’s economy, already weakened by two-decades of unrelenting
Western sanctions.

This has limited Zimbabwe’s financial response to Covid-19 as well as the drought, making international assistance argent and imperative.

But in spite of the constraints, the government has devoted considerable own resources to combating both hunger and Covid-19.

On Wednesday, Treasury announced a $600 million social mitigatory funding package for vulnerable groups, on top of another $500 million already set aside to combat the pandemic.

It also set up a special fund to mobilise resources for tackling the coronavirus, open to donations from anyone.

So far, Zimbabwe has registered eight Covid-19 cases, and one fatality, but health experts warn the number could rise as winter, ideal for the transmission of the disease, sets in.
New Ziana