The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator for Zimbabwe Mr Bishow Parajuli says the International organization is committed to working with the Government and other development and humanitarian partners to support the most vulnerable people with humanitarian, resilience-building and development assistance.
Speaking at the launch of the Revised Zimbabwe Humanitarian Appeal in Harare yesterday, Mr Parajuli said the UN was cognizant that humanitarian assistance was not a long-term solution to the socio-economic challenges in Zimbabwe.
He said “Intensive effort is required to tackle the root causes of the rising humanitarian needs. The UN is committed to continue to support the Government to undertake the necessary reform efforts as outlined in the Transitional Stabilization Programme (TSP).
The revised appeal targets the multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of 3.7 million vulnerable people, out of the 5.1 million people who were identified as in need of humanitarian assistance.
Mr Parajuli said the total requirement to address the humanitarian needs of these 3.7 million people by the international humanitarian community between the period July 2019 to April 2020 is approximately USD 331.5 million.
He added that while efforts are being undertaken to address these extremely complex sets of challenges, there is a moral obligation and an urgency for the international community to lend a hand to support those most in need.
“I therefore appeal to the development partners and friends of Zimbabwe for your continued generous support during this difficult time” appealed the UN Chief.
This launch follows the Zimbabwe Flash Appeal in February, which covered the period January to June 2019 after new evidence showed increasing vulnerabilities as a result of climate shocks and economic volatility caused by rising costs of basic commodities hence the need to cover the most vulnerable communities up to April 2020.
The 2019 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) Rural Livelihoods Assessment estimates that 5.5 million people in the rural areas are food insecure. Of this population, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis points to over 3 million people – or 38% of the rural population – projected to be in need of urgent humanitarian support between the interlude October to December 2019.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has already pledged $US 11 million while the United Kingdom, China and South Africa have pledged to continue pouring in more assistance. The Appeal launch follows the declaration of a state of national disaster by the President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa related to the El Nino induced draught which affected crop yields in the 2018/2019 season.