NGOs sign agreement with govt to step up aid

An association of European NGOs involved in providing food aid to Zimbabwe hopes a new agreement with the government will improve coordination of humanitarian efforts. The association, EuronAid, said in a statement that it had signed the agreement with government "in an effort to step up assistance for the population of Zimbabwe during the actual shortage of staple food and basic agricultural inputs". The agreement was signed on Tuesday and would "improve the efficiency of [EuronAid's] programme", which was being implemented together with Zimbabwean and international NGOs, with funding from the European Commission (EC). EuronAid secretary-general Dr Gerhard Schmalbruch stressed during the signing ceremony with the Director of the Ministry of Social Welfare, S. Mhishi, that he was convinced the agreement would improve the coordination of aid efforts between the government, NGOs and the EC. "He also expressed his conviction that the efforts of civil society organisations working at the grassroots level with the population of Zimbabwe is of the utmost importance in overcoming the actual shortcomings of food production and food availability in Zimbabwe," EuronAid noted. Schmalbruch thanked the government of Zimbabwe for their flexibility during the negotiations leading to the present agreement, and expressed his appreciation for "the positive direction contained in the statement of the government regarding the distribution of humanitarian aid", EuronAid added. The EC had so far donated Euro 15 million (about US $17.2 million) to EuronAid programmes in Zimbabwe. Schmalbruch also "expressed his confidence that the additional required Euro 10 million [about US $11.5 million] could be made available for this programme, despite the competition over funds for food crises and emergencies worldwide".