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Report of the First Mission to Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Zambia
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Background
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The humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa has been monitored since late 2001, when the signs of worsening food security could be seen throughout the region. In March 2002, the Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) resolved to examine the issue further through a process of multi-sectoral assessments in six of the worst-affected countries – Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The assessment process was to be coordinated under the leadership of the World Food Programme’s Regional Director, Ms. Judith Lewis.
Based on the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply assessment missions, it was found that 12.8 million people were at risk and would be in need of food (and other) assistance by March 2003. Erratic rainfall and drought were found to be triggers of vulnerability, but in many cases, the crisis was being exacerbated by a complex mix of factors, including serious problems of governance, the impact of HIV/AIDS, weakened social sectors, poorly functioning or constrained private sectors, and poor macro-economic performance in a number of key countries in the region.
A regional stakeholders meeting was held in June 2002 to discuss the assessment results and agree upon necessary next steps. UN Consolidated Appeals were written for five countries and a Regional Appeal covering all six countries was created as an overarching instrument. Ms. Lewis was requested to lead the inter-agency effort from Johannesburg, supported by key personnel from concerned agencies, while Resident Coordinators in each country would retain their national coordination functions.
On July 18, during the launch of the Southern Africa Regional Appeal, the UN Secretary-General named James Morris, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, as his Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa. As noted above, the Special Envoy was asked to visit the region in order to meet with key stakeholders and review the humanitarian situation and ongoing relief efforts with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS, as well as raise international support and awareness, and provide recommendations on how to improve what is being done currently.
The mission took place at the same time as new assessment results from August fieldwork were being analyzed. The revised estimates for people at risk in Southern Africa at the time of writing have reached 14.4 million by March 2003.
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