ReliefWeb

ActionAid welcomes the International Development Committee's initiative to hold an enquiry into Britainíss response to the Mozambique floods and seek evidence from Clare Short and Geoffrey Hoon. The charity does not want the underlying issues of how best to respond to Mozambique's immediate needs and the equally important issue of long term support and recovery to be lost in disputes between government ministers.
ActionAid's Head of Emergencies, Roger Yates said:

"If Mozambique is going to recover then relief must be linked to recovery and development. The international community needs to reshape its long-term support for countries such as Mozambique to take full account of their vulnerability. This means addressing issues such as strengthening peopleíss ability to cope during times of crisis, particularly in rural areas. It means ensuring that development work takes into account peopleíss susceptibility to disasters and it also means writing off debt as a significant cause of poverty and vulnerability.

A two-page policy briefing,Mozambique: now is the time to plan for recovery is available from the press office.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

ActionAid works in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

ActionAid has been running programmes in Mozambique since 1987 and is a member of the current Disasters Emergency Committee's Mozambique floods appeal.

Further information from Jane Moyo, Press Office on 020 7561 7614 or Roger Yates, Emergencies Unit on 020 7561 7523