Memorandum submitted by the Department
for International Development
SUDAN (Seventh Report 1997-98)
In general, current urgent humanitarian needs are
far less than in 1998. The Secretary of State raised the use of
overland access in relation to the very high costs of delivering
food by air. The cost of air transport has been reduced by a third
since then. Continued insecurity, largely related to contested
control of the oilfields, is frustrating attempts to reduce costs
further by using rail and river. Insecurity in Eastern Equatoria
has limited access by road to these areas. Roads into Bahr el
Ghazal are being used, resulting in lower overall costs.
(Para 35 rec 3) In the event most donors conducted
their own reviews of the Bahr el Ghazal crisis. The Department
co-funded a review with the Netherlands of WFP's role. This is
available should the Committee wish to see it.
(Para 44; rec 7) Progress on review of the United
Nations consolidated appeals has been limited. We said to the
UN in late 1998 that we were ready to provide money for core humanitarian
aspects of consolidated appeals as the UN saw fit. Unfortunately
the UN did not feel able to identify core humanitarian needs.
We also have difficulty with the quality of financial reporting
by the UN which we continue to pursue rigorously. Other donors
share our concern. We continue to provide humanitarian support
to Sudan on a case-by-case basis through our non-government organisation
partners and also through the UN for specific activities as identified
by the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator.
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