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European
Commission allocates €15.8 million to a new Vital Health Programme
in Zimbabwe
European Commission
- Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO)
February
24, 2006
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?
The European
Commission has allocated €12 million to the global humanitarian
aid plan for Zimbabwe for 2006. This plan aims to reduce the extreme
vulnerability of population groups at particular risk. This includes
people living with HIV/AIDS (one in five adults is HIV-positive),
orphans and other vulnerable children, elderly, widow and children-headed
households and internally displaced persons (IDPs), including ex-commercial
farm workers and those affected by the government’s urban "clean-up"
drive in 2005.
Zimbabwe’s profound
crisis has many faces: poor governance, a crumpling economy, an
HIV/AIDS pandemic, food insecurity and erratic weather conditions
are parts of it. At least three million people are in need of emergency
food assistance, among them 1.1 million AIDS orphans. The Commission
deems it therefore essential to continue providing humanitarian
aid for vulnerable Zimbabweans.
The Commission’s
objectives are to reinforce immediate food security needs and linking
them with long-term recovery programmes, as well as to increase
access to safe water sources and basic sanitation facilities and
to contribute towards meeting the emergency needs of IDPs and other
vulnerable groups by providing them with food and non-food items.
All funds are channelled through Commission’s Directorate-General
for Humanitarian Aid, ECHO, under the responsibility of Commissioner
Louis Michel.
"The situation
in Zimbabwe continues to be of major concern. It is essential that
we continue to provide support to mitigate the impact of the enduring
crisis on the most vulnerable population groups such as people living
with HIV/AIDS, orphans and other vulnerable children, elderly, widow
and children-headed households and internally displaced persons",
said Louis Michel. The implementation of the humanitarian aid operations
funded by our €12 million decision will start in March.
The EU Council
decided this month on a Commission’s proposal to extend one more
year the measures that restrict Development aid to Zimbabwe to actions
which provide direct support for the population. These restrictions,
within the framework of article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, are
in place since February 2002.
Background
Since
2002, the Commission has adopted six humanitarian aid decisions
concerning Zimbabwe for a total of more than €68.8 million (the
€12 million global plan for 2006 comes on top of it). The humanitarian
interventions will be implemented by non-governmental organisations
and specialized UN agencies. The Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department
is present in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, with a support office.
It provides technical assistance to partners and support in the
implementation of relief projects.
For further
information: http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/index_en.htm
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