Following the latest harvest, humanitarian agencies are to meet in Johannesburg to discuss the next step in tackling the Southern African food crisis, a United Nations (UN) spokesperson said on Monday.
Jennifer Abrahamson said the latest results from two UN crop and food supply assessments, in six affected countries, showed harvests had improved this year in many areas and the situation had stabilised to some extent.
However, she warned the crisis, which was shaped by HIV/Aids and massive food production and access problems, was far from over and continued to threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people throughout the region.
Results from these assessments, along with those from the Southern Africa Development Community-led Vulnerability Assessments programme, would provide data for governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donors to formulate their response to the crisis in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The conference, facilitated by the UN and Southern African Development Community (SADC), is to be held on Wednesday and Thursday and will bring together more than 75 delegates.
Delegates will include the executive secretary of the SADC, as well as senior representatives from UN agencies and NGOs from the region. – Sapa