Letter to Mr Bob Geldof from Mr Poul Nielson,
Member of the European Commission (Development and Humanitarian
Aid)
I have appreciated your admirable efforts to
draw attention to the plight of the poor and starving in Africa
over the years. At the European Commission, we certainly share
your concerns, and we would like you to know what we are doing
about the situation in Ethiopia.
You probably haven't picked up our press releases,
so, as European Commissioner for Development Co-operation and
Humanitarian Aid, I thought it best to give you some essential
background information so that you have the best available information
at your disposal when you are called upon to speak on this issue.
There is a general impression in some media
that we are not doing enough to counter the threat of famine;
or that if we are, we are not doing it fast enough. This is simply
not true, and although quoting figures is not helpful when people
are suffering, I believe it is important to put the record straight.
So here are the facts. I'd be grateful if you'd share them with
your staff and other celebrities campaigning on this issue:
— during 1999, a total of 209,777 tonnes
of EC food aid was shipped to and arrived in Ethiopia;
— the Commission, through the European
Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), is currently making an
initial contribution of 2 million euro to the International Committee
of the Red Cross for the distribution of supplementary food rations
in Southern Ethiopia. Further ECHO contributions can be made if
and when necessary;
— total Commission food aid presently
being offloaded, shipped or being procured amounts to 282,526
tonnes. An EC Food aid shipment of 30,000 tonnes, channelled through
WFP, arrived in Djibouti port over the weekend of 8 April. A further
shipment of Euroaid of 16,665 tonnes is expected for 16 April.
This will be followed by further shipments through Djibouti and
Berbera;
— a further 260,000 tonnes is in the
process of being allocated. The total EC Food aid to arrive in
Ethiopia this year is 432,526 tonnes. Another 110,000 tonnes will
be arriving in early 2001 to supplement the Ethiopian Strategic
Food Reserve;
— out of the total EC food aid allocation,
a total of 130,000 tonnes will be handled by NGOs through Euroaid;
— total shipments from all donors expected
to be offloaded between now and July amount to 504,000 tonnes.
According to information received from Ethiopia, this quantity
would be sufficient to meet requirements for the time being. Total
donor pledges for this year are approximately 900,000 tonnes,
above the 821,000 tonnes requested by the Ethiopian government;
— the conflict between Ethiopia and
Eritrea complicates and aggravates the situation. Neither the
ports of Assab and Massawa can be used to bring in food. The Commission
is looking for alternatives that could involve better utilisation
of Berbera port through rapid improvements of the road from Berbera
into Ethiopia. In addition, the utilisation of Port Sudan could
be considered. Road improvement is underway on the Sudanese side
and roads on the Ethiopian side are reportedly good.
To sum up, the main problem at the moment is
not a shortage of food in the pipeline—it is unclogging
the pipeline to make sure food can be delivered to where it is
most needed in good time. We need a joint effort to solve this
crisis. My departments work together very closely, and also keep
in close touch with European Union Member States and international
donors to co-ordinate our efforts. We consistently send staff
to the field to check needs and to provide feedback.
Despite the problems, we will get help to the
starving, never as fast as we would like, but faster than we used
to. We have improved our capacity to deal with humanitarian difficulties,
but we are still, alas, incapable of preventing the problems arising
in the first place.
We have now for 25 years continually been giving
food aid to Ethiopia, a country which is also the largest beneficiary
of EC development assistance. I see a great need to change our
intervention from classical, reactive food aid towards a proactive
policy of food security, which is indeed what we are trying to
do. A positive and more direct identification by the government
of Ethiopia with this approach is essential. It goes without saying
that peace with Eritrea would also improve the situation.
I believe that it is necessary to avoid misleading
the public for want of accurate information. If you need any further
clarification or information about what we are doing, do please
get in touch. My staff would be delighted to update you.
Poul Nielson
Commissioner
18 April 2000
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