Weekly Round-Up - IRINSA-383: 11-Jul-08
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Southern Africa
Tel: +27 11 880 4633
Fax: +27 11 880 1421
e-mail: irin-sa@irin.org.za
SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-Up 383
7 - 11 July 2008
CONTENTS:
GLOBAL: Proposal for new US$10 billion disaster fund wins plaudits,
criticism
GLOBAL: A dollar more for climate change adaptation, a dollar less for
health
ZIMBABWE: Political violence surges after Mugabe assumes presidency
ZIMBABWE: No foreign currency, no food
GLOBAL: Why everything costs more
SWAZILAND: A better maize crop, but not enough
ZIMBABWE: NGO ban starting to bite
AFRICA: IMF steps into food crisis
GLOBAL: Proposal for new US$10 billion disaster fund wins plaudits,
criticism
A proposal in a recent UN report for a unified global mechanism for
disaster relief and risk mitigation, with a US$10 billion budget, is
receiving a mixed welcome, with praise for increased spending and
prevention efforts, but concern over the idea of a one-stop shop. The
umbrella facility would absorb what the proposal calls the fragmented
existing bodies that fail to pass the "acid test" of providing
sufficient financing quickly and automatically to countries hit by
disaster, and would ultimately assume a much larger role in investments
in disaster planning and preparedness.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79174
GLOBAL: A dollar more for climate change adaptation, a dollar less for
health
The decision by the Group of Eight (G8) countries to divert money from
their Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funds to help poor countries
adapt to climate change has been slammed. The eight industrialised
countries have also come under fire for failing to fix short- and
medium-term targets to cut dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, which
scientists say are warming up the planet. "This [diversion of ODA funds]
is terrible news - every ODA dollar diverted towards climate adaptation
would mean a dollar less for health and education [programmes] in
developing countries," Antonio Hill, senior policy advisor at Oxfam, the
UK-based development agency, told IRIN.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79164
ZIMBABWE: Political violence surges after Mugabe assumes presidency
The already high levels of politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe's
rural areas are escalating, the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change told IRIN. Violence surged in the aftermath of the 29 March
elections, in which ZANU-PF lost it majority in parliament for the first
time since independence from Britain in 1980, and its leader, Robert
Mugabe, come off second best to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the
presidential ballot. It continued in the lead-up to the second round of
presidential voting on 27 June.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79159
ZIMBABWE: No foreign currency, no food
A R100 (US$13) remittance from a relative living in South Africa was a
lifeline to food for Lydia Nxumalo, 36, and her family in Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe's second city. After searching in vain for maize-meal in the
shops and supermarkets, Nxumalo, with her five-year-old daughter in tow,
eventually managed to buy a 10kg bag of the staple food from a vendor at
the bus terminus.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79149
GLOBAL: Why everything costs more
For the first time since 1973, the world has been hit by a combination
of record high food and fuel prices. The price of oilseeds and grains,
such as wheat and maize, has doubled since January 2006, with over 60
percent of the hike taking place since January 2008, according to the
World Bank. Rice more than tripled between January and May 2008.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79148
SWAZILAND: A better maize crop, but not enough
Swaziland's anticipated maize harvest this year will be double the size
it was in 2007, when drought devastated the crop, but still not enough.
According to UN estimates, over 20 percent of the country's one million
people face the possibility of going hungry. Output of the local staple,
maize, is projected at 64,000 tonnes this season, meaning that the
"total cereal import requirement in the 2008/09 marketing year
(April/March) is ... about 136,000 tonnes," said a joint assessment by
the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UN World Food
Programme (WFP).
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79144
ZIMBABWE: NGO ban starting to bite
The ban on non-governmental organisation (NGO) activities in the lead-up
to the second round of voting in the presidential ballot is beginning to
bite, according to Zimbabwe's communal farmers, who are weathering the
worst food shortages in living memory. Alleging political bias, the
government suspended all NGO activities, but the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) claims the ban was instituted to try and hide
the political violence unleashed against its supporters after the 29
March general elections, in which President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF lost
control of parliament for the first time since the country gained
independence from Britain in 1980.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79127
AFRICA: IMF steps into food crisis
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is augmenting an existing facility
and reshaping a second to help countries worst hit by the food and fuel
price crisis, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The Fund has already
increased low-interest loans under existing arrangements with Benin,
Burkina Faso, Kyrgyz Republic, Central African Republic, Haiti and
Madagascar under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) to
provide balance of payment and budget support, opened new PRGF
arrangements with Mali and Niger, and is in discussions with about a
dozen other countries.
Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79119
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Appropriate Donations for International Disaster/Humanitarian Needs
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International web: www.cidi.org
. Disaster Information listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
. guidelines: www.cidi.org/donate.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Southern Africa www.cidi.org/humanitarian/irin/safrica