Select Committee on International Development Minutes of Evidence



MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE CO-ORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA)

FLOODS IN MOZAMBIQUE

Summary of Co-ordination Efforts at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva led by the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

13 March 2000

  As a result of OCHA's continuous monitoring and reporting of disasters worldwide, OCHA's Africa Desk in the Disaster Response Branch started issuing situation reports on the torrential rains in Mozambique as of 26 January 2000. Since that date, OCHA has issued 16 situation reports on this emergency, drawing from field reports produced by the Government's National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) in collaboration with OCHA representatives, the United Nations Resident Co-ordinator's Office, UN agencies[1], the Red Cross and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). OCHA's reports also include information from headquarters offices of aid agencies and provide regular updates on of donor contributions.

  Following exceptionally heavy rains between 4-7 Feburary, OCHA organised the fielding of a five-member UN Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination (UNDAC) Team to Mozambique. The team, led by an OCHA staff member and composed of emergency experts provided by WFP and the Governments of the United Kingdom, Austria and Zambia, arrived in Maputo on 12 February, supported by two disaster experts provided by the Government of the United Kingdom.

  Assigned OCHA Geneva staff have maintained daily contact with the UNDAC Team. In particular, OCHA Geneva has performed a number of vital tasks in support of the UNDAC Team and co-ordination of UN disaster relief efforts, such as:

    —  following up on requests for mobilisation of resources, in-kind humanitarian assistance and Military and Civil Defense Assets;

    —  reflecting, in OCHA's situation reports, the findings of the UNDAC Team's assessments and its progress in co-ordination, in particular in assisting the Resident Co-ordinator/United Nations Disaster Management Team and the Government of Mozambique in setting up an operations coordination cell in the INGC, and formulating a United Nations Inter-agency Appeal for Emergency Relief and Initial Rehabilitation;

    —  disseminating the United Nations Inter-Agency Appeal, launched jointly by the Government and the United Nations in Maputo on 23 February, to donors and the media from its Geneva and New York Headquarters;

    —  providing the donor community with regular updates on financial and in-kind contributions for Mozambique.

  During the week of 14 February, a first relief flight was organised by OCHA from its warehouse in Pisa (Italy), carrying relief supplies provided by the Italian and Norwegian Governments, in response to theUS$ 3.7 million appeal made on 10 February by the Government of Mozambique.

  During the period 26-27 February, Mozambique became a victim of the inundation of key river systems as a result of the rains caused by cyclone Eline over Zimbabwe, which led to renewed overflowing of the country's river system. As the work of the first UNDAC Team had concluded on 24 February, OCHA dispatched a second UNDAC Team to Mozambique, which arrived in-situ on 29 February. The INGC Co-ordination Centre, which had been handed over to the national authorities and the UN Disaster Management Team in-country by the first UNDAC Team, was again strengthened thanks to OCHA's speedy fielding of disaster relief co-ordination experts. OCHA also organised a second flight from Pisa during the week of 28 February.

  The second UNDAC Team included three members from the first team and was composed of nationals from the United Kingdom—Department for International Development (Team Leader), as well as Austria, Zambia, Norway and Finland. Three logistics experts were sent from the United Kingdom to reinforce the mission.

  On 29 February, a donor meeting was jointly hosted in Geneva by the Permanent Representative of the Government of Mozambique to the United Nations and OCHA, which updated participants on the situation in Mozambique and the results of the first UNDAC mission. Donors pledged more that US$13 million in assistance to flood-affected victims in Mozambique, in addition to in-kind contributions.

  Upon the appointment announced on 29 February of Mr Ross Mountain, Director of OCHA Geneva, as the Secretary-General's Special Humanitarian Envoy of the Secretary-General, OCHA Geneva immediately mobilised to support the fielding of the Special Envoy's three-member delegation, which arrived in Maputo on 1 March.

  As of 1 March, OCHA Geneva created an internal Task Force under the leadership of the Director of OCHA Geneva, a.i. and Chief of the disaster Response Branch, Mr Gerhard Putman-Cramer. The Task Force has been meeting twice per day and ensured continuous reporting on the situation in southern Africa—through daily contacts with the UNDAC Team, the Special Envoy and his delegation, as well as the aid and donor community at headquarters level—and responding to the specific requests of the Special Envoy and of the UN Secretariat through OCHA New York.

  OCHA Geneva has also been managing media from Geneva and ensured liaison with other Geneva-based United Nations spokespersons to present a consolidated picture of the emergency and relief efforts in Mozambique.

  In accordance with a formal agreement between OCHA and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), WMO provides the necessary hydrometeorological information support to the ongoing humanitarian operation. WMO communicates to OCHA at Headquarters level and to the INGC Co-ordination Centre in Mozambique daily reports originating from the South African Weather Bureau.

  On 3 March, OCHA organised a co-ordination meeting with all major donors, as well as UN agencies and the Red Cross, to facilitate stock taking and immediate planning of the international aid effort to Mozambique. The meeting was attended both from capitals and Permanent Missions and provided critical information on assistance activities in the major emergency sectors, ie logistics, water and sanitation, health and food. During the meeting, information was provided by agencies and donors on assistance worth more than US$50 million. Participants acknowledged the critical role of OCHA in co-ordinating efforts in this emergency and agreed that its Military and Civil Defence Unit should serve as a focal point for logistics requests in close collaboration with a logistics co-ordination cell newly established in Maputo as part of the INGC Co-ordination Centre.

  The Joint OCHA-UNEP Environmental Unit based with OCHA Geneva has been active since the first days of the emergency in monitoring possible environmental hazards as a result of the flooding. On 8 March, UNEP and UNCHS (HABITAT) sent a technical team to participate in the effort of the United Nations in Mozambique through assessment of damages to the environment and human settlements, and identification of needs for international assistance. The team is co-ordinating closely with the INGC Co-ordination Centre and the UNDAC Team on the ground.

  On 8 March, at the request of the Special Humanitarian Envoy, OCHA dispatched an information management expert to support the INGC Co-ordination Centre in managing the vast amount of information now available on relief efforts for this emergency and facilitating reporting.

  On 13 March, on the occasion of the return of the second UNDAC Team from Mozambique after hand-over to a third UNDAC team, OCHA Geneva hosted a meeting of representatives of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), whose membership is composed of United Nations humanitarian agencies, the Red Cross Movement and three NGO consortia. The UNDAC Team Leader provided a briefing on the progress of co-ordination and assistance delivery in Mozambique.

  The third UNDAC Team dispatched by OCHA arrived in Mozambique on 10 March and is ensuring continuous support to co-ordination of the international relief effort in Mozambique. This four-member team is led by a Senior OCHA staff member and is composed of disaster management experts from Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The Head of Desk for Africa of OCHA's Disaster Response Branch also arrived in Maputo at the end of the week. Among the tasks of these representatives, in addition to continuing the work initiated by the first two UNDAC teams, will be to assist the Government and the United Nations in-country team in updating the United Nations Inter-Agency appeal.

  OCHA's situation reporting and systematic tracking of donor contributions have been made widely available throughout the emergency on Reliefweb, the humanitarian web page managed by OCHA (www.reliefweb.int).

United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs

13 March 2000


1   UN agencies based in-country, and who participated in the UN Inter-Agency Appeal launched on 23 February, were: UNDP, WFP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO,UNESCO, UNFPA. Back


 
previous page contents next page

House of Commons home page Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries index

© Parliamentary copyright 2000
Prepared 3 May 2000