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Elita Chikwati Senior Reporter
Sixty percent of the humanitarian assistance programme launched by the United Nations (UN) last year to assist food insecure people in Zimbabwe has been funded. Speaking to journalists after paying a courtesy call on Vice President Kembo Mohadi in Harare yesterday, UN resident coordinator Ms Maria Ribeiro said the figure may be higher after evaluations by the Zimbabwe Vulnerable Assessment Committee (ZimVac) and Government.

President Mnangagwa early last year declared the 2018-19 El-Nino-induced drought a State of National Disaster.

This paved the way for the launch of the Revised Zimbabwe Humanitarian Appeal by the Government and the UN for drought relief assistance and the associated resilience building support by the international community.

UN resident coordinator Ms Maria Ribeiro

At the launch, the UN indicated that Zimbabwe required in excess of US$331 million to address the humanitarian needs of 3,7 million people between the period July 2019 and April 2020.

The Government later revised the figures to US$464 million, amid indications that about 5,5 million people were food insecure.

“Sixty percent of the humanitarian appeal has been funded but ZimVac and other assessments have been done by Government which also means we need to revise some of these figures.

“The secretary-general launched the Decade of Action on January 1. It is for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); it’s about poverty eradication, creating equity, leaving no one behind in terms of health, nutrition, education and all the other services.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi welcomes UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Maria Ribeiro at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare yesterday. Picture: Justin Mutenda

“As UN, we work with our member states and we work with different countries to see how we can best support the achievements of those goals and this is the same for Zimbabwe,” she said.

Ms Ribeiro said Zimbabwe was affected by climate change which had also impacted negatively on other countries in the region.

“Zimbabwe is a member of the Southern African region and like other countries in the region; Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and southern Angola, has been faced by the challenge of climate change.

“The impact of drought is causing extra stress on the situation of the population on top of the stress that already exists which is linked to the economy and social services. The challenge is not only about food,” she said.

Vice President Mohadi said the Government was working on ensuring that all people had access to food.

“We discussed the food security situation and sustainable development goals Zimbabwe is undertaking and how they are supporting us and what the UN country team is doing in collaboration with Zimbabwe. She is here to take it from where Mr Bishow Parajuli left,” he said.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi welcomes UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Maria Ribeiro at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare yesterday. Picture: Justin Mutenda

“This is not the first time we are having a drought in Zimbabwe. We have always said as Government, no one will die of hunger. We are going to marshal all the resources we have towards the provision of food for our people. We are on top of the situation,” he said.

He dismissed allegations that food aid was being diverted and said this was not going to affect Government’s efforts to provide food for the nation.