MOZAMBIQUE APPEALS TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL $102 MILLION TO HELP IT RECOVER FROM FLOOD DEVASTATION

Press Release
IHA/699

MOZAMBIQUE APPEALS TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL $102 MILLION TO HELP IT RECOVER FROM FLOOD DEVASTATION

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 22 March (OCHA) -- The Government of Mozambique today launched an update of its international appeal of 23 February. The new appeal seeks resources from the international community in the amount of $102 million for ongoing emergency and rehabilitation activities directed at 650,000 flood victims in the provinces of: Maputo, Gaza, Sofala, Inhambane, Manica and Tete. It is a transitional appeal, which covers the period from March to end of August.

The revised appeal is based on an assessment carried out by the United Nations Disaster, Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, the United Nations in-country team and the Government of Mozambique further to the second wave of floods, which hit the country at the end of February. Prior to that second major disaster, the Government of Mozambique had requested from the international community $65 million to assist 300,000 flood victims for a six-month period. The United Nations Inter-Agency appeal for $13 million was part of it. A total of $58 million was received against that appeal.

The dramatic impact of the second inundation brought the number of people affected by the floods from 300,000 to nearly 1 million. An accurate assessment of the overall damages caused by the floods will become known only once the waters have subsided.

The present appeal covers all United Nations areas of activity with regard to relief and rehabilitation. It includes basic needs for food, health and nutrition, water, sanitation, shelters and educational programs. A priority is the seeds and tools programme, which will provide important support to the devastated agricultural sector. In addition, funds are required to carry out the repair of roads and bridges, as well as to maintain air transportation assets on a commercial basis.

The appeal was jointly prepared by the Government of Mozambique, United Nations agencies (the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as well as non-governmental

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organizations. It has the primary objective of filling the gap between short- term humanitarian and recovery needs and the implementation of a portfolio of rehabilitation projects that will follow from September onward. Those longer- term rehabilitation requirements will be the subject of an international donor conference to be held in Rome at the end of April.

The United Nations expresses hope that donors will continue to contribute generously towards the rehabilitation of flood-ravaged Mozambique.

For further information, please contact: Phyllis Lee (New York): tel. 963-4832 or Donato Kiniger-Passigli (Geneva): tel. 917-2653.

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