Aid for Ethiopian relief reaches over $300 million, UNDRO reports.

• Position: United Nations Disaster Relief Organization

Total contributions of Governments and international and non-governmental organizations to ease the disastrous situation in Ethiopia reached $312.7 million in cash and kind by late January, according to the office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator (UNDRO).

The report was received as United Nations agencies and other international organizations continued to provide emergency assistance to Ethiopia and other Africian nations in critical situations resulting from drought, desertification and other devastating social and economic phenomena.

UNDRO is a focal point in coordinating relief efforts in Africa. Its frequently updated "situation reports" are telexed to donor Governments and agencies, providing an overview of requirements, conditions in affected countries and descriptions of aid to the populations. These reports indicate the magnitude of the situation in certain African countries.

On 14 January, at an information meeting on the African emergency held in Geneva under UNDRO's auspices, UNDP Administrator Bradford Morse, Director of the new United Nations Office for Emergency Relief Operations in Africa, said there had been a particular increase in the activities of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the most seriously affected countries. Non-governmental organizations also were playing an especially valuable role, he said.

Poul Hartling, High Commissioner for Refugees, said his Office's programmes were dealing with population movements occasioned by drought and famine, in addition to refugees in the conventional sense of the term. The seriousness of the situation was reflected in recent UNHCR appeals to help countries such as Sudan (where 3,000 refugees were arriving each day), Ethiopia, Somalia, the Central African Republic and other countries. (Press Release DEV/1597-ND/207)

Ethiopia's Needs

After his appointment on 5 November as Assistant Secretary-General for Emergency Operations in Ethiopia, Kurt Jansson undertook a mission to Ethiopia to assess requirements in consultation with donor missions in Addis Ababa and Government authorities.

On 13 December, Mr. Jansson provided a detailed report on the situation. The current drought, he said, followed three successive years of "grossly insufficient rainfall" in many parts of Ethiopia. Total crops were expected to be 25 to 30 per cent less than the average for the three previous drought-affected years.

The shortfall was equivalent to the ordinary needs of between 6.5 and 8 million persons, based on a conservative population estimate of 42 million. On the basis FAO statistics and a nationwide survey by Ethiopia's Central Statistical Office, an estimated 7.7 million people--including 351,000 returners in southeastern Ehtiopia and 30,000 more in Sidamo in the south--needed emergency aid.

Administrative regions worst affected by the drought were Wollo, Tigray and Eritrea in the north, and all of northern Shewa, eastern Gondar, Hararghe and Sidamo. In all, 12 of Ethiopia's 14 administrative regions suffered from the drought to varying degrees. The main surplus areas of Gojjam, Shewa, Arsi, Western Gondar, eastern Welega and northern Bale would have sharply reduced surpluses this season.

So far, some 509,916 metric tons of cereals, supplementary food and edible oil of a target of 1.3 million tons had been pledged or committed by donor countries and non-governmental organizations, leaving a gap of more than 800,000 metric tons.

The quantities to be distributed would rise from January-February on, when the population would have consumed whatever food and seed they might have been able to save, the report stated. "The peak will be in August-November, before the new main crop becomes available." Even with the most favourable weather conditions, the 1985-86 harvest would be some 10 per cent less than normal, mainly due to a shortage of oxen.

The Ministry of Agriculture estimated that the following quantities of seed aid would be needed: 20,000 metric tons of maize; 10,000 metric tons of sorghum; 10,000 metric tons of wheat.

Medical Requirements

As for medical supplies, an estimated 35 per cent of the drought-affected population needed emergency medical assistance, the most vulnerable groups being children, pregnant and lactating mothers and the old and infirm. Supplies were urgently needed to treat famine-related diseases, including diarrhoea, respiratory ailments, malaria, and eye, skin and related diseases. The Ministry of Health estimated that medical supplies were needed at the rate of $2 per person for the next 12 months to meet the emergency needs of 2.7 million people.

The shortage of medical personnel in Ethiopia had created great problems in efforts to provide health care to drought victims, the report stated. At present, there were 28 expatriate doctors, 73 nurses, 11 nutritionists and 19 support staff working in drought areas. The Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) asked for an additional 20 medical teams, consisting of a medical doctor, nurse and nutritionist, who should be supplied with means of transport.

With night temperatures at high altitudes dropping to near freezing and winds adding to the cold, the need for blankets, tents and clothing was expected to rapidly increase. Cooking utensils and fuel-efficient stoves were also needed. Preliminary estimated costs in this areas were $5.2 million.

The RRC, with 9,000 workers, was responsible for distributing food and other supplies made available to it. The movement and distribution of relief supplies at 250 distribution centres were determined by estimates from the RRC field staff, who worked in co-operation with local farmers' associations. Logistics specialists were being assigned to work with the RRC.

Plans were also under way to establish a computerized management system in the RRC to facilitate planning and control of emergency operations, including arrival and movement of supplies, internal transport availability, stock positions, distribution levels and reporting to donors.

Mr. Jansson concluded that he was satisfied that, with the full cooperation of the Ethiopian Government, emergency relief supplies destined for Ethiopia in the quantities indicated would be efficiently handled and distributed. With the proposed system of planning, data management and monitoring, he said, donors' reporting requirements would be met.

He asked that the relief food pipeline be kept filled to ensure an average distribution of some 100,000 metric tons of grain per month and the rproposed quantities of supplementary period ending...