I. Executive Summary
Zimbabwe continued making steady progress towards recovery and development since the launch of the 2013 humanitarian appeal. On the political front, the holding of a successful referendum ushered in a new Constitution in May. This was followed by peaceful elections in July marking the end of the Government of National Unity (GNU) that had been in place since February 2009, and introducing a new Government led by the Zimbabwe Africa National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).
Progress was also recorded over the last six months on the policy front with the launch of the Food and Nutrition Security Policy in May. This policy aims at promoting and ensuring adequate food and nutrition security. Similarly, the ongoing Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) mid-year review indicated that progress towards meeting the ZUNDAF objectives is largely on track.
Alongside political, recovery and development activities, humanitarian partners continued to complement Government efforts in response to the remaining needs. The main humanitarian response was to food insecurity mainly caused by drought, the impact of which is more pronounced in the southern parts of the country. During this period, over 1.4 million people were provided with food assistance through joint efforts of the government and humanitarian partners. Sporadic outbreaks of water borne diseases were also addressed through joint efforts between the Government and humanitarian partners. In addition, vulnerable groups such as the chronically ill, returned migrants, asylum seekers and those affected by floods and storms were assisted. At the same time, recovery and development partners continued implementing medium to long term programs to address chronic needs persisting in Zimbabwe.
Against this background, the Government and the humanitarian community have agreed that the broad strategic objectives set at the beginning of the year are still relevant. The humanitarian community will therefore maintain a minimum coordinated response capacity in the Food, Health, WASH and Protection clusters for the rest of the year. At the same time, humanitarian partners will continue strengthening the capacity of the Government to respond to ongoing and future emergencies. According to the findings of the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Committee (ZimVAC) Rural Livelihoods Assessment, 2.2 million people will need food assistance at the peak of the 2013/2014 lean season. This group will therefore remain the main priority for humanitarian support for the remaining part of the year. Response to disease outbreaks, natural disasters and the remaining needs of asylum seekers and migrants will also continue to be addressed through the humanitarian framework.
After analysis of recent needs assessments, this Mid-Year Review identified no change in financial requirements for all Clusters except for Food and Health. This appeal’s revised requirements amount to US$147,275,808 an increase of 12% from the original requirements. The funding so far received is US$90 million, leaving unmet requirements of US$57,275,808. It is anticipated that this will be the last coordinated humanitarian appeal for Zimbabwe.