Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-22-Speech-2-155"
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"en.20021022.7.2-155"2
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". – A major part of ECHO's strategy is dealing with forgotten crises, and this is quite important. This is also why we are providing continued assistance to the Saharawi refugees. ECHO is the largest source of aid to these refugees. Over the last three years, ECHO has more or less doubled its assistance to the Saharawi refugees from about EUR 7.5 million in 1999 to EUR 14.34 million this year.
While the World Food Programme is responsible for the basic foodstuffs ECHO is concentrating its assistance on supplementary food products in order to ensure a more varied diet. However, in view of the problems the World Food Programme has had in finding the donors it needs to meet its commitments ECHO decided, in 2001, to set up a three-month buffer stock of basic products such as cereals, pulses, oil and sugar, which the WFP can use in case its supplies arrive too late for distribution to the refugees, the condition being that the World Food Programme should undertake to replenish these buffer stocks.
This arrangement has been invaluable, with 13 such loans totalling a volume of 12 153 tonnes in the period until the end of October 2002. The problem is that so far only 5 589 tonnes have been replenished, leaving the buffer stocks very low, at a level of 17.24% of the full amount.
It was against this background that, at the beginning of September 2002, the World Food Programme and the UNHCR issued a joint appeal for further international assistance to satisfy the needs for basic food items. While it may be correct that the WFP could cover only 11% of needs in October, it must be said that this figure relates only to deliveries from WFP and does not take account of deliveries from other donors.
ECHO financed 300 tonnes of rice, delivered in October, and the use of the ECHO buffer stock I mentioned has made an important contribution, enabling us to satisfy the total needs for basic food products in October. So it is not the case that in October they only received 11%. As I have explained, the situation is much better.
Let me say a few words about the ECHO global plan for these refugees, which was adopted by the Commission this year. This plan, involving an amount of EUR 14.34 million, should reduce the full impact of the crisis. Over 80% of the ECHO 2002 global plan consists of food products. Under this plan, a further 5 000+ tonnes of basic foodstuffs are due to arrive in the coming weeks. In addition, over 3 000 tonnes of ECHO-financed supplementary food products will be supplied in the next few months. The WFP has also announced that it is sending over 4 000 tonnes of basic foodstuffs. This is the good news. Nevertheless, there is still cause for concern, particularly as regards the January and February distributions, owing to the possible lack of foodstuffs to satisfy total needs in that period.
There is some donor fatigue. This is the background. I agree with the question in this respect. This is also why ECHO is involved in different ways in raising donor awareness about this conflict and these people."@en1
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