Madagascar

Transcript

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 16, 2018 Office of Press Relations
Telephone: +1.202.712.4320 | Email: press@usaid.gov

Washington, D.C.
October 15, 2018

This Weekly Bulletin focuses on selected acute public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 58 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:

Further increase in staple food prices expected through the lean season

Key Messages

WFP urgently requires USD 43.6 million to provide food and nutritional support to 849,000 food insecure people in IPC 4 (emergency) IPC 3 (crisis) phases in southern Madagascar until June 2019, and USD 6 million to assist 197,043 school children during the 2018-2019 school year.

In Numbers

1.26 million people and 5 regions affected by rain shortfalls and failed harvests

Highlights

• The food security and nutritional situation is alarming due to failed harvests and rain shortfalls

• Around 400,438 people are in IPC emergency phase and 860,883 people are in crisis phase, in the southern and south-eastern regions

• WFP plans on reaching 849,000 people from this population

Situation Update

This Weekly Bulletin focuses on selected acute public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 58 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:

HIGHLIGHTS

More than 400,000 people across the region have been affected by floods and cyclones in 2018.

There is a 65-70 per cent probability of an El Niño event between December and February, as compared with a 90 per cent probability ahead of the same period in 2015 - 2016.

People in two districts in Madagascar and three in Zimbabwe are facing Emergency food insecurity.

KEY MESSAGES

OVERVIEW

By Volker Türk | 04 October 2018

Mr Chairperson, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

There were several key developments in Africa during the week of September 23rd.

Key Facts:

Chiffres clés

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year. To learn more about markets in Southern Africa, please consult the FEWS NET Regional Maize Market Fundamentals Summary Report.

Food insecurity worsening in the South as an early lean season begins

Key Messages

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.

In the commune of Ambohimidasy Itaosy, just outside Madagascar’s capital, six-year-old Sitraka waits for his friends to go play after school. Soon, a group of boys his age gathers and forms a circle to kick around their football. As they play, it is apparent that Sitraka is notably shorter and looks much younger than the others.

Highlights:

• Despite an average maize harvest and an overall satisfactory supply outlook for 2018/19, the aggregate number of people affected by food insecurity has increased.

• Declining per capita maize production in the past ten years has heightened reliance on imports to satisfy consumption needs, increasing vulnerabilities to external shocks.

Cereal production declines in 2018, but the aggregate output remains near average

12 million people affected. USD $1 billion in damages. These are the figures behind the 50 natural disasters that have struck Madagascar over the past 37 years.

Effective logistics coordination is at the core of any disaster response, making preparedness initiatives critical for island nations such as Madagascar whose remote communities mean time, transport and distance are consistent challenges.

Introduction

The Madagascar National logistics workshop took place 1-3 August 2018 in Antananarivo, and was convened by the Global Logistics Cluster, together with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Madagascar’s National Disaster Management Office, the Bureau National de Gestion des Risques et Catastrophes (BNGRC).