Agencies still short of funding for EMOP

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that despite receiving a US $3 million donation this week, it still faces a funding shortfall of US $254 million for its Southern Africa emergency operation. Some 14.4 million people face hunger in six countries in the region, due to prolonged drought, erratic rainfall and questionable government policy. In its latest situation report WFP said "vulnerable populations in the region are approaching a critical period, January - March 2003", but WFP still required an as yet un-resourced 440,000 mt of food supplies in order to deliver aid to those in need. Meanwhile the United Nations has expressed concern over a funding shortfall, particularly for non-food items, for the humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa, saying that relief money was being stretched to the limit. The UN Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Support Office said since it launched a US $611 million appeal in July, almost half of the pledges received - 49 percent - had been for the food sector. Of the almost US $269 million received, just 8 percent was earmarked for water and sanitation, 15 percent for health and 27 percent for agricultural support. "Funding shortfalls mean that UN agencies are stretching scarce resources and thus facing difficulty responding fully to the needs of the people covered under the appeal," the office said. For Angola - which is a separate appeal to that of the Southern Africa emergency operation - WFP warned that "stocks of maize, the main component of rations, will run out in December ... thus, WFP is expecting to face [food aid] pipeline breaks for maize from January onwards".