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Sweden responds to UN appeal for Zimbabwe
Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida)
March 16, 2006

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ACIO-6NHHNP?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=zwe

Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has responded to the UN Consolidated Appeal for Zimbabwe (UN CAP 2006) with 40 million SEK (about USD 5 million).

The commitment represents more than double the amount of Swedish humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe in 2005.

The allocation will go through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) (15 million SEK), United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) (15 million SEK), NGO Joint Initiative Project (8 million SEK) and UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) (2 million SEK).

Announcing Sweden's response to the appeal, Sten Rylander, Ambassador of Sweden to Zimbabwe said:
"The scale of humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe is considerable and growing. The food security situation, the general decline in social services and the HIV/AIDS pandemic are major causes of concern for Sweden. Our intention is to support the most vulnerable groups in society on the basis of providing basic humanitarian needs."

"However, the Zimbabwean Government has the ultimate responsibility for the humanitarian situation and long-term developments in Zimbabwe. Much more could be done to bring the country back to normal and to pursue development policies that benefit the entire Zimbabwean population", says Rylander.

The main priorities identified in the 2006 Common Humanitarian Action Plan for Zimbabwe are reduced morbidity and mortality rates, increased access to basic services, prevention of further deterioration of livelihoods and enhanced community coping mechanisms, protection of the most vulnerable and reduction of the impact of HIV/Aids.

The Consolidated Humanitarian Appeal for Zimbabwe 2006 is based on a humanitarian action plan worked out by UN, Red Cross movements, international organisations and bilateral donors. The overall objective of the appeal is to save lives and mitigate suffering through increased access to basic social services in health, water and sanitation, food security and agriculture.

"The UN is not only on focusing on relief issues. It's not sufficient to only work on relief but also development - its a continuum. Sweden has long been a good partner of the UN, and we appeal to other donor countries to follow suit," said Dr Agostinho Zacarias, United Nations Development Resident Co-ordinator at a press conference today.

Sweden's humanitarian assistance is guided by the humanitarian imperative and the principles of impartiality and neutrality.

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