5.5 million Zimbabweans are food insecure, UN told
THE 2019 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee consisting of UN development partners and NGOs has completed a rural livelihoods assessment which estimates that 5.5 million people in that country are food insecure.
“Of this population, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis points to over 3 million people – or 38% of the rural population – projected to be in need of urgent humanitarian support in the period October to December 2019,” revealed Bishow Parajuli, outgoing UN Resident Co-ordinator to Zimbabwe.
He made the disclosures on Friday in New York, where he updated member states on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe and the status of the revised humanitarian appeal launched earlier in the month on August 6.
Parajuli said Zimbabwe was facing a multitude of humanitarian challenges as a result of climate factors such as the droughts and cyclone and economic shocks, which he described as “sadly, facing almost a perfect storm situation”.
He said the impact of the 2018/19 drought combined with continuing macro-economic challenges and austerity measures implemented as a part of the necessary economic reform efforts have resulted in a high-level of food insecurity and economic hardships among those who are most vulnerable.
“The revised appeal targets the multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of 3.7 million vulnerable people, out of the 5.1 million people, whom we have identified as in need of humanitarian assistance,” said Parajuli.
“The total funding 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 amounts to $331.5 million.”
Among those in attendance at the meeting were UN Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Ursula Muller and Zimbabwe Minister of Local Government July Moyo.