Remarks at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, James Morris (unofficial transcript)
Press events | Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General
(The MOU is signed by Lubbers and Morris and witnessed by the Secretary-General)
Mr. Lubbers and Mr. Morris will say a word about their programs in this country, particularly World Food Programme and the efforts that we are making to support those confronting famine in the region. And of course Mr. Lubbers, who has a responsibility for the High Commission for Refugees, and a majority of refugees and internally displaced persons are on this continent, so they have both spent quite a lot of their efforts on our continent, regrettably.
JM: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. This document that we're signing further strengthens the partnership between the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme. Last year together our two agencies as the strongest possible partners served more than 7 million people in 32 countries and these are people in the most distressed situation that life could ever put before someone. The World Food Programme has the responsibility of feeding these folks and providing nutrition and our partners. UNHCR has the responsibility for the other services they need and this new document sort of reaffirms our commitment to do this and to each other. It updates a document from 1997 and it spells out how we'll work together and what the scope of our work will be, how we'll resolve issues of a practical nature that come up every single day in every place we work and this particular effort is incredibly important to people that are hurting about as much as anybody anywhere in the world is hurting.
RL: Let me add to this that I am very happy that we can sign this improved agreement here in the presence of the Secretary-General. In the first place because it is very important for our beneficiaries, the refugees and internally displaced persons. Also because there is always talk about UN bureaucracy but let me assure you that these two guys are very practical working in the situation mainly here in Africa at this moment to bring food to the people. Its progression and progress. We go further and further with that with the World Food Programme. We do now a number of pilot projects in which they don't bring it to the camps but are also organizing with us the distribution in the camps goes further. We need, I use this opportunity to flag that to (inaudible) the international community. We think that the NEPAD initiative, this is backed up now both by G8 countries and non-G8 countries, is an excellent new opportunity to do the things that have to be done in Africa both for peace and development and at the bottom line of all that, peace and security for the people. So I am absolutely delighted that we are signing this document here in the presence of the Secretary-General himself and that we can do it on the very first day of the African Union, which is a sort of a promise for the new Africa, which finally conflicts will be less, where we will have less refugees and when refugees arrive today will be able to be repatriated to their countries and become as soon as possible wonderful and very valuable citizens that refugees are. Thank you so much.
JM: While you are all here I don't want to miss the opportunity to simply tell you that the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world today is about to occur in Southern Africa. The six countries of Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland over the next nine or 10 months are facing a human crisis of incredible proportions. Between 12 and 13 million people are seriously at risk, loss of life. This crisis is caused because of an incredible drought, a natural phenomena over the past several years, compounded by the HIV-AIDS crisis and the serious issues of macroeconomics and government policy.
You put all this together and you end up in a situation where the world is going to have to respond to save the lives of these people, especially the most vulnerable, children and women and people who live in households that don't have an able-bodied person leading the home. There are a lot of people that are seriously at risk and this is about to become currently the biggest focus of the World Food Program is in Afghanistan, where we are feeding about 10 million people, six and a half million people in North Korea but the numbers here in Southern Africa are mind-boggling and we are working very hard to get the world to respond and we are encouraged. But given the timing of this predicament, of having to get the food in position before the October rains come, we need help desperately and we need it right now. This is no small matter. This is a very serious issue and the world will find a way to respond. I just wanted to be sure that you are all aware of this.
RL: Let me add some positive news. A positive agenda here as well and practically related to Angola. Last year this was still not thinkable that we would be able now to start the repatriation of 800,000 Angolans outside Angola, assisting already many internally-displaced persons in Angola. Its going to be an enormous operation. In the first place of course for the Government of Angola and the people of Angola, but where we can get assistance internationally how to organize, certainly my organization UNHCR, will be very helpful doing that. We were with the Angolan refugees for many years in a very desperate situation. Now there is a future for them. We start the repatriation so it's a sort of gift of the first day of the African Union that we start this process right now.
By the way we're doing it very much in Eritrea too. We're doing it in Sierra Leone. There are dark spots in the world for us. We bitterly hope that solutions will be found in other situations, in particular DRC, the Great Lakes region, in the Sudan, where its very important, in Somalia. So there is a lot of work to do. I do hope that ending conflicts will be the central theme of the African Union. The central theme because Africa needs peace and development together. You cannot do one thing without the other. There will only be real development when there is peace. And the truth that we are here together I think Jim because here we signal the international solidarity, with the Africans. Our organizations are fully committed to invest now in this tragedy of the drought and to use the opportunity to repatriate wherever it is possible back to his home. Thank you.
Q: Mr. Secretary-General, are all the Governments in the region co-operating with efforts to get food the people or the Governments that are affected by the famine in Southern Africa.
SG: We have been in touch with all of them, and in fact during this session Mr. Morris has seen almost all of them and he intends also to visit the region to talk to them. The two of us also had the opportunity also to discuss this issue with some of the African leaders when they were in Rome for the World Food Summit. I think I would like Jim to speak about it because they are handling the operational and logistical aspects as to the nature and level of co-operation they are getting from the Governments.
JM: We have had really terrific co-operation from the Governments and we have set up our regional headquarters to manage the operational response from a single office in Johannesburg and the Government of South Africa has been exceptionally supportive. We have a good working relationship with the Governments of each of the six countries involved and other African countries that have been through serious predicaments like this in the past have expressed an interest in helping at this time. So clearly there are tough issues in each of the countries. This is unusually difficult in that five of the countries are landlocked and we are going to have to use the port of Dar-es-Salaam, the port in Durban. We will use the ports in Maputo and Beira and one other that escapes me. But we have had good support from the people about using their ports and they have been willing to waive fees and expedite the process. We met with the port people here this morning, very accommodating. So I think when something is as serious as 13 million people having their lives at risk, the world does come together and understands that we have some responsibility to help each other and we go way out of our way to be accommodating. And that's our experience here.
SG: Your point is an important one. We need the co-operation of Governments in a sustained manner. Two years ago we were able to avert famine in the Horn of Africa through concerted efforts led by the World Food Programme and with the full support of the Governments concerned. We were able to do it and now we are thinking of long-term procedures and arrangements and that is why we would want to see in this region.
Q: I just want to ask Mr. Morris what are the numbers of people coming across the borders of South Africa from Zimbabwe?
JM: No it is not very large right now. It's insignificant. If we don't do our job, if we don't find ways to (inaudible), there is 6.1 million people in Zimbabwe that are going to be seriously at risk, half the population. And these are the most vulnerable people in society who can't fend for themselves and whose coping mechanisms have begun to run out. If we are not able to respond from the world donor perspective, there will be refugees and movements like the one you have referenced, but it's not a problem right now.
Q: Will you be prepared for it?
JM: Oh sure we will be prepared for it but we are going to do our job. We are going to work as hard as we can to ensure that we get the food into Zimbabwe so that it does not become a serious problem.
Q: I just wanted to ask you about the plans for the reconstruction of Angola. What is the volume of the help financially because the country is in shatters, there are mines all over the place. How can they reconstruct it effectively? I am not trying to discriminate against other African countries, but thank god there is peace now. How are you going to support the Angolan Government?
SG: I just had discussions with President Dos Santos yesterday when he came here and the international community has also sent in assessment missions into the region. Initially, we had to focus on the humanitarian situation, which is one of the most serious on the continent to save lives and then move on to recovery and reconstruction programs. We do intend to have a donor conference to try and raise money once we come up with the programs. I also have advised the Government of Angola, which is seen by many donors as relatively rich, that they are expected to make a gesture themselves and the people should begin to see some peace dividends and that if they can also switch some of their resources from the war effort to the peace effort, it will encourage other donors to come in and we are discussing all that and of course the Government has to work out its reconstruction plan and we will help them approach the donors for the necessary support. *****