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| Table 4: Specific Grant Allocations 2008-09 to 2010-11 | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| £m | £m | £m(1) | |
| (1)Indicative figures | |||
International Development
Zimbabwe
The Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Douglas Alexander): The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is rapidly deteriorating, with an escalating cholera outbreak making an already serious situation much worse.
Today I am making available a £10 million package of support to provide life-saving assistance and respond to the escalation of the disease. This support will:
provide essential drugs and medical supplies;
support the provision of basic health services; and
help UNICEF treat cholera cases and prevent further outbreaks.
This package includes £3 million new funding, and brings our total support to the people of Zimbabwe to £47 million this financial year.
With a collapsing health system and a population badly weakened by a prolonged food crisis, HIV and AIDS, the threat from cholera is all the more severe. More than 8,000 cases have already been reported, with over 300 deaths—the vast majority of them preventable under normal conditions. Our contribution will be used to provide vital medical supplies and equipment to treat patients, provide clean water supplies, and ensure that front-line health workers are available to treat patients.
The food crisis in Zimbabwe also remains a serious challenge. The UN estimates that five million people will be in need of food aid as we move into the new year. To date, the UK has provided £9 million to the World Food Programme’s appeal. With the results of nutritional surveys in the coming weeks we will, alongside the UN and other donors, monitor closely the need for further contributions.
As the group of elders noted during their recent visit to southern Africa, the need to arrest the humanitarian crisis is now urgent. There is no doubt that this has been caused by a systemic and prolonged failure of policy and leadership in Zimbabwe. Only a political solution and a major change of policy direction by the Government of Zimbabwe can provide what is needed to Zimbabwe’s people. The international community will continue to support the immediate needs of the Zimbabwean people.
With international partners, we stand ready to play our part in Zimbabwe’s economic and social recovery when the time comes.
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