Press Release

From the Department for International Development

13 July 2004

HILARY BENN ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL £28M HUMANITARIAN AID FOR SUDAN

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development, today announced that DFID was setting aside a further £28m for the remainder of this financial year to address humanitarian needs in Darfur. This brings the total UK humanitarian assistance for Darfur to £62.5m since September 2003. The conflict in Western Sudan has displaced over a million people and the needs for food, shelter, medicines and security are huge. 

Hilary Benn said 'I visited Darfur in June and saw for myself the terrible humanitarian situation. With the rainy season now underway, the situation will get considerably worse if aid does not reach those in need. Relief operations continue to struggle for lack of funds. That is why I have today made available a further £28m and call upon other donors to do more. I welcome the commitments made by the Government of Sudan on 3 July to remove restrictions on humanitarian access, combat violations of human rights, and improve security for civilians in Darfur. We are watching the implementation of these commitments closely. Immediate progress is vital. The international community will need to take further action if rapid progress is not achieved soon." 

Additionally, DFID is setting aside £150m for 3 years beginning April 2005 for emergency assistance, recovery and development programmes in Sudan. This will be used to provide basic services to populations in need, maintain peace and stability, and help improve governance and policies. Longer term development assistance will become available only after a comprehensive peace agreement in Sudan is reached and there is a significant improvement in the situation in Darfur. 

Notes to editors:

• Yesterday the Chancellor announced that DFID was setting aside £150m over the next three years (financial years 2005/2006 - 2007/2008) to support relief and emergency aid in Sudan.
• The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and the UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, briefed the UN Security Council on 7 July. The UN estimates that unmet requirements for Darfur and Chad to December 2004 are $230m.
• The UK has allocated £62.5m in response to Darfur and Chad since September 2003. This is being committed to support UN agencies, ICRC, and NGOs operating in Darfur and Chad to provide emergency assistance, including food, shelter and medical care to the affected population. We are also supporting the UN led response by provision of experts, material and equipment. More details of our funding commitments can be found on our website. 
• The UN now estimates that over 2 million people are in need of food assistance in Darfur, of which 1.2m are internally displaced persons (IDPs). In addition, the UN estimates that over 130,000 refugees have fled into neighbouring Chad. There are still significant gaps in the delivery of humanitarian assistance across all sectors. 
• The UK has played a key role in responding to the crisis in Darfur. We have been in almost daily contact with the Government of Sudan and the Darfur opposition groups. Further background on Darfur and details on the UK response are available on our website. 
• DFID is the UK Government department responsible for promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty. The central focus of the Government's policy is a commitment to the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015. These seek to:

a. Half the proportion of people living in extreme poverty and hunger
b. Achieve universal primary education
c. Promote gender equality and empower women
d. Reduce child mortality
e. Improve maternal health
f. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
g. Ensure environmental sustainability
h. Develop a global partnership for development

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