Introduction

Facts, figures and the lastest updates from WFP's high profile emergencies.

Afghanistan

• As part of the High Food Price Mitigation intervention programme, WFP has distributed 17,000 mt of food in the urban areas of Kabul, Nangarhar, Mazari-sharif, Zaranj, Kandahar, Hirat and Lashkargah (Hilmand province). In addition, approx. 15,000 mt of food is currently being distributed under FFW activities in nearly all other Afghan provinces through this programme.

• Reports indicate that the drought and crop failures in Chimtal district of Balkh Province have forced 1,000-1,400 families to leave their homes. The families are now camped in the Cheshma-e-Shifa area of Balkh province. A joint UNAMA, WFP and Afghan Government mission conducted an initial assessment of the camp and indicate that people are living in poor condition, however; the reason behind their displacement is more related to land ownership issues than to distress caused by the drought. The Afghan Government is encouraging the people to return to their places of origin.

• WFP assistance to vulnerable returnees from Pakistan is ongoing. During the week 150 mt of food was distributed to 4,300 vulnerable returnees in Nangarhar province.

Chad

• The security situation continues to be tense and volatile in eastern Chad following the rebel incursions over the past week. Following fierce military clashes with the regular army in the Am Zoer area, the rebel fighters are reported to have returned to their bases in Sudan. While the national army continues to reinforce its positions in the east, humanitarian activities have resumed in all twelve refugee camps.

• On 16 June, President Deby criticized the EUFOR mission in eastern Chad following the rebel attack on Goz-Beida. Mr. Deby openly questioned the effectiveness and usefulness of the EUFOR’s mandate saying the European force even supports the rebels rather than protecting aid workers, refugees and the local populations.

• WFP is about to provide a 60-day seed protection ration to some 200,000 IDPs and IDP host populations in Dar sila, Barh Azoum, Ouaddai and Assongha areas. This assistance aims to cover beneficiaries’ food needs during the lean season and support their agricultural activities.

• As of 23 June total food received in Chad through the Libya corridor amounts to 10,626 mt. Over 2,000 mt from Khufra and Benghazi are currently en route to the Faya transit hub. Another 1,000 mt of food left khufra on 17 June for eastern Chad but has been delayed due to a security incident: a driver got killed by a mine explosion during transport.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Following a temporary imbalance between planned needs and available commodities, WFP took the heavy decision to reduce rations distributed to beneficiaries. This decision affects all eastern DRC WFP field offices. Thanks to expected deliveries towards September, particularly through the Kampala (Uganda) and Kigoma (Tanzania) supply corridors, this situation will improve and the temporary reduction will be reviewed.

• UNHCR has resumed the repatriation of Congolese from Tanzania and envisions deploying two convoys per month, during the next three months, to facilitate the return of 4,000 Congolese per month. WFP will assist the returnees with a three-month ration as a return package.

• The IDP committee in Aveba, Ituru District in Orientale province, reported that there are approximately 23,000 IDPs in Aveba. Only 12,000 have been assisted by WFP. The other 11,000 IDPs are the result of a second wave of displacement that took place in May 2008. WFP requested its partner, LWF, to verify the information before considering the caseload for food assistance.

Ethiopia

• WFP plans to resource some 80 percent of the annual relief requirements (591,000 mt) for 4.6 million beneficiaries. The current shortfall for the national relief operation comes to 370,000 mt. The lack of food has forced WFP to support the government in prioritising assistance to the most acutely affected – only half the relief caseload can be reached in July.

• Some 5.7 million Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) beneficiaries also require emergency extended assistance. Due to lack of food resources, the majority of safety net beneficiaries will receive an additional two-month cash transfer. WFP has advocated intensively with PSNP donors and the Food Security Coordination Bureau (FSCB) to allocate a two-month food transfer to cash-only beneficiaries in hotspot areas showing high severe acute malnutrition and lack of food in markets. The food must be borrowed from the Emergency Reserve, which will bring its stocks down to zero for July.

• A budget revision to increase PRRO 10665.0 with some 378,500 mt for relief is being finalized.

• WFP is assisting the FSCB to finalize the procurement of 20,000 mt of maize from South Africa.

• WFP is following up regularly with the government to improve logistics’ capacity. Increased activity for the drought response has delayed dispatches for relief and safety net programmes.

Iraq

• WFP has now reached over 470,000 vulnerable IDPs in Iraq.

• A procurement plan was prepared for the GoI US$40 million contribution, to ensure that commodities arrive in a timely manner.

• According to FAO, production of wheat this year is provisionally forecast to decline slightly from the estimated 2.3 million mt harvested last year. However, imports of wheat in the 2007/08 marketing year (July/June) are forecasted at some 3.5 million mt, virtually unchanged from the previous year.

Kenya

• Kenya Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG) - the national food security coordination body, is preparing for the 2008 long rains assessment. Fieldwork will take three weeks, covering arid districts in the north, and areas worst affected by post-election crisis in the west. Meanwhile, KFSSG has increased the beneficiary numbers in Turkana District from 160,000 to 215,000 following deterioration in food security and nutrition situation. Admission criteria for supplementary feeding in Turkana have also been revised to include children at risk of being moderately malnourished.

• The emergency operation does not have enough food stocks to cover July distributions; the Government is expected to confirm 6,500 mt of cereals in-kind donation, but without associated costs. WFP has enquired into the Government’s position on GMO foods available from South Africa.

• Agencies are looking to build on the successes of the recent innovative pilots, such as Concern Worldwide’s partnership with Safaricom (mobile firm) to make emergency cash transfers by mobile phone using their M-Pesa system. Other NGOs are reportedly giving supermarket vouchers to slum residents for food purchases.

Myanmar

• Seven weeks after Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar WFP has dispatched over 17,000 mt of food to affected areas in the Ayeyarwady Division, and distributed 9,200 mt to approximately 684,000 beneficiaries. An additional 45,000 beneficiaries in the Yangon Division received assistance through the Cash Transfer Programme.

• A requirement to import all further rice requirements places significant pressure on WFP’s operational budget and pipeline.

• Revision of the IASC Nargis Humanitarian Response Plan is near completion, and a new Appeal will be launched on 10 July. The EMOP budget is being revised concurrently.

• As Cluster Lead for Logistics and Emergency Telecommunications, WFP has been coordinating the provision of common services for more than 45 partners (UN, bilateral aid agencies and NGOs). As of 24 June, a total of 88 air cargo shipments into Yangon airport have been organised, with 5,300 mt of relief items dispatched. Shipments include food, medical kits, tarpaulins and other vital humanitarian materials such as temporary warehousing, office and accommodation units, and telecommunications equipment. Ten helicopters being operated in the Delta continue to carry food and other critically needed humanitarian supplies to the most hard-to-reach areas.

• WFP has employed an additional 124 National staff since the cyclone hit. A total of 89 WFP staff are now in the Delta, with 3 Sub-Offices and 2 Logistics hubs operational.

Somalia

• A joint WFP/CARE/ICRC donor briefing was held on 16 June, in a presentation on behalf of food aid cluster. WFP highlighted the severe deterioration of the food security situation and lack of resources that provide the urgent life-saving food aid required. From June to December, the projected food aid need in Somalia is 317,841 mt for 3,156,551 beneficiaries targeted by food aid agencies.

• WFP has extended its assistance to about 600,000 beneficiaries in the central region facing humanitarian emergency. CARE international provided food aid in this region, but is now unable to continue due to critical resource shortfall. The agreement between WFP and CARE is for WFP to provide food in the region for at least four months and CARE will distribute the food. A USAID contribution to CARE is expected to be confirmed in July, however, the food can only reach Somalia by end of the year. ICRC is limiting their response in the region to four months-until September. WFP/CARE and USAID will hold urgent discussions on how to proceed.

• The operating environment in south and central Somalia continues to degenerate; a senior CARE national officer was kidnapped in Galgadud this week prompting CARE to suspend its operations in the district. WFP has diverted a consignment of 1,900 mt of food aid it was delivering to CARE for distribution in the district. It is unclear how long the suspension will last.

Sri Lanka

• 1,200 mt of wheat flour reached Jaffna to respond to the urgent need for the vulnerable group feeding programme.

• Following the joint government/donors/stakeholders consultation on the next PRRO (2009-2010), WFP is finalizing the draft PRRO document for the PRC scheduled on 2 July.

• WFP has conducted a field assessment on the completed emergency assistance for the flood victims to ensure the accountability. 330,782 flood affected people received WFP food.

Sudan

• Starting July, pulses ration for 2.7 million people in Darfur will increase to 100 percent. However, cereals and sugar will remain at 50 percent for the third consecutive month. This is a major concern for WFP and the humanitarian community in Sudan.

Syria

• An agreement with SARC has been reached on the distribution sites for Damascus. The distribution will start around 24 June in Sayda, Zenab and at the new site in Duma. This for a total of 145,242 beneficiaries. Distribution in Sayda/Zenab will last for two weeks and in Duma for four weeks.

• WFP is planning to conduct a food security assessment of Iraqi refugees in July.

Zimbabwe

• The WFP/FAO Crop and Food Supply Assessment, released 18 June, estimates that about 2 million people will be food insecure in the third quarter of this year. This is expected to rise to 3.8 million in the fourth quarter and once again in the first quarter of 2009, to about 5.1 million people. The report assessed national production of maize at 575,000 mt - 28 percent lower than production in 2007. Assessment findings estimate total domestic cereal availability for the April 2008 to March 2009 marketing year at 840,000 mt. This is 40 percent below last year’s domestic supply. The CFSAM also estimates food assistance requirements at 395,000 mt from July 2008 to March 2009.

• WFP is in the process of consulting Government, donors and NGOs to review CFSAM report findings and develop operational plans. A budget revision is to follow for an expanded Vulnerable Group Feeding programme.

• The GoZ imposed suspension on all NGO field operations (issued 4 June) has seriously impacted the delivery of relief assistance, including food assistance. Approximately 43 percent of the beneficiaries (135,000) have been reached. This has been managed by using carry over stocks and early dispatches, primarily reaching beneficiaries in institutions, such as orphanages and schools.