UN, government launch appeal for aid

The United Nations, in conjunction with the Eritrean government, launched its annual consolidated appeal for aid on Tuesday, asking for US $163.4 million in food and non-food assistance for the tiny nation in the Horn of Africa. The bulk of the request for 2003 came from the UN's World Food Programme, which said it required $105.1 million in aid to help feed the nation's 1.4 million drought-affected people. The request was up more than 60 percent on the appeal for 2002, when the UN requested $92 million for 800,000 war and drought-affected people; primarily because of the severity of this year's drought, which is the worst in Eritrea's nine-year history as an independent nation. "This critical period when Eritrea is emerging from conflict and at the same time faced with a devastating drought is crucial for the destiny of the country," Simon Nhongo, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said. "It also presents a serious challenge for the international community." He added that a lacklustre response from donor countries could seriously stifle Eritrea's post-war rehabilitation. The UN, he said, expected to receive 45 to 50 percent of the 2002 appeal request before the end of the year. In 2000 and 2001, the UN received upwards of 70 percent of its appeal for aid. UN officials cited the severity of the drought in Southern Africa, donor fatigue, and donor scepticism as factors that had damped the donor response in 2002. The UN's annual appeal aims to increase the self-reliance of vulnerable populations in Eritrea, such as returning refugees and those internally displaced by the war, and to rebuild their communities. The 2003 request covers nine UN agencies and organisations with offices in the country, such as the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Development Programme.