1. INTRODUCTION

La politique humanitaire de l'Union européenne est une expression de ses principes fondateurs - la solidarité, la tolérance et le respect de la dignité humaine. L'aide humanitaire, sans être un instrument de crise, est un des piliers de l'action communautaire en faveur des pays affectés par des catastrophes naturelles ou les catastrophes causées par l'homme, ainsi que par les urgences complexes liées aux conflits(1). Au regard de ses activités dans les zones de crises et au travers de sa contribution active à la promotion du respect et de l'adhésion au Droit international

General Situation during December 2008

Forecast until mid-February 2009

In early December, there was a sharp increase in locust activity in NW Mauritania. As vegetation began to dry out in the Zgueimir area east of Nouakchott, solitarious hoppers concentrated and increased in density (up to 20 locusts/sq. metre), fledged and formed small groups of adults. The infestations, which originated from local breeding during the autumn, were confined to a relatively small area that was difficult to access because of sand dunes.

In order to prevent further grouping

Executive Summary

In response to the dramatic rise of global food prices since 2007, WFP has been providing funding and technical support to WFP staff and partners to assess the impact of higher prices and structural vulnerabilities and a growing and 'new face of hunger'. According to preliminary research the estimated new caseload is expected to be more visible and to have greater political influence as they are often concentrated in urban areas.

With numerous initiatives underway and a number of different players, the WFP Regional Bureau needs to take stock

GENEVA, December 26 (UNHCR) - Regional Liaison Representative Ilunga Ngandu leaves UNHCR at the end of this month after 33 years of distinguished service. Starting as a junior protection officer in the mid-1970s, he ended up as the agency's key interlocutor with the Addis Ababa-based African Union. Ngandu will be returning to his native Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he expects to continue helping others. He spoke to UNHCR Web Editor Leo Dobbs. Excerpts of the interview:

How has UNHCR changed since you started?

It has changed tremendously. When I joined

Food Security Summary:

The food security situation in the coastal belt has improved slightly following recent rains, though inland areas (Northwest and Southeast pastoral livelihood zone) remain extremely food insecure.

As millions of vulnerable people across the Horn of Africa face a life threatening battle for food, New Zealand Red Cross has committed $30,000 to assist with relief operations.

A recent report from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (the Federation) indicates that over 20 million people across Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are living on the margins of survival due to complex cocktail of drought, conflict, displacement and poverty. .

As a result of the report's findings, the Federation has launched an urgent appeal to raise over $178 million

This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 113,992,868 (USD 95.4m or EUR 72.8m) in cash, kind, or services to support the National Societies of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia to assist a total of 2.2 million beneficiaries over the full five-year timeframe of this operation.

This operation has been developed based on the following three complementary yet distinct sets of interventions that will be implemented in parallel over a 60 month (5-year) timeframe:

1) Emergency food relief and humanitarian assistance (12 months);

2) Support for rapid recovery (up to 3 years);

L'explosion des prix des produits alimentaires, venant s'ajouter à une sécheresse persistante, a plongé la Corne de l'Afrique dans une crise dramatique. L'étendue du désastre est mise en lumière dans un rapport publié aujourd'hui par la Fédération internationale des Sociétés de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge.

La gravité de la situation a incité la Fédération internationale à lancer un appel d'urgence de près de 113 millions de francs suisses afin de répondre aux besoins les plus pressants de plus

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

In November 2007, the Food Early Warning System (FEWS) NET Food Security Outlook was already indicating a likely scenario of 'extreme food insecurity' for large parts of Ethiopia and Somalia. The warning was repeated on 21 December 2007 by the Food Security Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSAU).

These early signals of an imminent food crisis in the Horn of Africa were recognized by the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies of the region and a series of assessments in Kenya, Ethiopia