Commodity OnlineROME: Here is the update on food relief supplies to various countries hit by food crisis released by United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Chad
The August General Food Distribution (GFD) for Sudanese refugees has been launched on 5 August in the east. The August GFD will target a total of 245,100 refugees in 12 refugee camps. In Shar (southern Chad), torrential rain has caused 4 deaths and left 16, 730 homeless. The humanitarian community has dispatched a mission to the area for a rapid assessment and to organise the response.
DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)
WFP and UNHCR undertook a mission to Nyanzale in North Kivu province to assess the situation of IDPs in the Birambizo area. This may also lead to an intervention strategy aimed at assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) households willing to return to their localities of origin. The mission found that food and non food items in the presently calm areas of origin could be provided to allow voluntary returnees to resume agricultural activities. The continuation of assistance to IDPs was also recommended where the security situation is still volatile.
A near-total pipeline break in August will force further cuts in rations and prioritizing of beneficiaries. The situation is expected to improve marginally in October, while in November large shortfalls are expected again.
DPRK (Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea)
The report from the WFP/FAO Rapid Food Security Assessment (RFSA) is almost finalized and findings strongly suggest a drastic deterioration of the food security situation over the past months, notably in some more vulnerable areas of the country. Using the Integrated Food Security and Humanitarian Phase Classification (IPC) tool, the report concludes that North Hamgyong, Ryanggang provinces and some counties in South Hamgyong are suffering Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis (category 3) due to insufficient food intake, poor dietary diversity, indications of increasing malnutrition rates and possible spread of diarrhea and illnesses.
It is feared that these areas may suffer a Humanitarian Emergency (category 4) in August/September. In other assessed areas, high stunting levels, unstable access/availability of sufficient food and chronic dietary diversity deficit are consistent with IPC category 2 -Chronically Food Insecure. The situation may quickly degrade to IPC category 3.
WFP is currently mounting a significant augmentation of PRRO 10488.0 and a budget revision has been approved enabling further donor contributions (see above). WFP is also drafting a new EMOP (10757.0) to commence in September 2008 under which more than 6.2 million beneficiaries will be targeted at an estimated cost of US$580 million. With unprecedented access, WFP will cover 131 counties across eight provinces; Ryanggang, North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, Kangwon, North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae, South Phyongan and Pyongyang. Preliminary tonnage estimates include 471,000 mt of cereals, 54,000 mt of pulses, 16,000 mt of oil and 91,000 mt of fortified food.
Distributions of emergency food have started in 131 counties (excluding accessible counties in North Pyongan and Chagang Provinces which will be covered by US NGOs and food-secure districts in Pyongyang City). Office capacity is currently being reinforced with 47 international staff. A revised Letter of Understanding (LOU) has been signed with the Government allowing for increased geographical access, augmentation of international staff numbers to 59, ability to recruit Korean-speakers and more randomness and flexibility in monitoring.
Food distributions to beneficiaries have begun in the southwest of DPRK following receipt of the GIP for the southern provinces. Programme and Logistics staff are currently jointly monitoring county warehouses for the receipt of 34,000 mt of food and hope to reach all counties by next week. Upon receipt of the GIP, WFP food distribution to beneficiaries and monitoring will continue in these areas.
Ethiopia
Following the multi-stakeholder Belg/Gu assessments that recommended an almost doubling of the relief caseload, the Government is yet to finalise the official relief needs. WFP is urging the Government to recognise and initiate response to the assessed needs, particularly for the Somali region given the alarming reports from the field on increasing severe acute malnutrition. Meanwhile, Government and partners are working to allocate available food for August, based on the current 4.6 million people plus hotspots.
Working through the Somali Region Special Committee, WFP is advocating for the immediate deployment of the enhanced outreach strategy/targeted supplementary feeding (EOS/TSF) screening in the region. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, WFP is drafting an expanded caseload contingency plan for the Somali Region based on data compiled by the Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping unit.
Iraq/Syria
Iraq: A UNCT assessment mission is planned for Najaf in the nest few days. The objectives of the mission are to analyze the needs of the governorate, and determine how to strengthen local capacity and expertise.
WFP has now reached over 500,000 vulnerable IDPs inside Iraq. Second-round distribution (covering June and July) has started in some of the 18 governorates of the country.
oPT
Despite the ceasefire, the fuel crisis in Gaza has not been solved; the allowed quantity of fuel covers only 30 percent of the population’s needs. In addition, the quantity of cooking gas was not increase, although its consumption will likely go up during Ramadan (early September).
Somalia The CO’s request for an advanced funding of US$48 million to move 53,000 mt of cereals from South Africa has not been endorsed by the credit committee due to lack of collateral. If the remaining cereal is not moved soon, a break in cereal pipeline is imminent, affecting 4 million beneficiaries over a period of four months. In the past three months, the wet feeding and supplementary feeding programmes have had to be prioritized for the distribution of oil and pulses due to pipeline breaks.
Findings from 11 nutrition assessments conducted by the Food Security Analysis Unit in May show a deteriorating nutrition situation from critical (15 – 19.9 percent GAM) to very critical (above 20 percent GAM) levels in many parts of south/central Somalia. WFP and UNICEF have developed a joint response to boost MCH and Supplementary Feeding. The CO is preparing a budget revision of US$17.8 million to purchase more supplementary food and plumpy doz for 274,600 children, pregnant and lactating women.
Sri Lanka
Over 30,000 people have been displaced in LTTE-controlled Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu over the past two months. WFP has been providing rations to those newly displaced people, increasing a total caseload to 100,266 beneficiaries in these two areas. UN, NGOs and donors have set up a taskforce to monitor the development of the situation and to prepare for the emergency response. UNHAS commenced its flight to Jaffna on 26 July and to Trincomalee and Anurdhapura on 29 July.
Sudan
Food deliveries in July were lower than anticipated with an average daily dispatch rate of 951mt, compared to June’s average of 1,245mt/day. At this rate, with only 60% of the delivery plan for July achieved, food stocks in Darfur cannot be built up sufficiently to resume full cereal rations in the near future. A decline in the frequency of convoys and government escorts, particularly with the re-deployment of the Police force during President Al Bashir’s visit to the region, further worsened the turnaround times for trucks delivering WFP food to Darfur. Furthermore, the start of the rainy season has diminished road access into Darfur. The Government reassured the WFP Director that they will increase and speed up the movement of escorted convoys to Darfur, during a meeting held on 4 August between WFP, Transporters and the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and of Interior.
In August, WFP is increasing cereal rations for GFD beneficiaries in Darfur from 6.75kg to 9kg/person/month; 67% of the standard cereal ration. Pulses and CSB ration will be at 100%, while sugar will remain at 50%. The revised rations will provide 75% of the daily k-cal requirement, an increase from the 60% daily k-cal value delivered in May and June. In May, WFP was forced to halve cereal, pulses and sugar rations due to delays in food deliveries caused by increased banditry attacks in the region.
