UN World Food Programme

For EWCII Bonn, 16-18 October 2003

• The World Food Programme (WFP) is the frontline agency within the United Nations in the fight against global hunger.

• It operates at the request of National Governments and the UN SG

• In 2002, WFP assisted 72 million people in 82 countries suffering from hunger because of interrelated crises: natural disasters, conflict, extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

• Last year, WFP’s largest challenge was to respond rapidly to an unprecedented number of weather-related disasters that caused large-scale food insecurity throughout Africa (Southern Africa, Ethiopia, Eritrea) while meeting the needs of ongoing humanitarian operations worldwide.

UN World Food Programme

For EWCII Bonn, 16-18 October 2003

Today's Early Warning Developments On Emerging Humanitarian Crises

06 October 2003

OPT / Israel / Syria EW Development: Israeli Attack on Syria Risks Instabiliity in Middle East

Crisis Implications: A major escalation has taken place in the Middle East. Yesterday, Israel launched its most significant raid into Syria in 30 years to bomb an apparently abandoned

Palestinian "terrorist training base" north of Damascus following the suicide bombing of a Haifa restaurant that killed 19 people on Saturday. The Israeli government said the attack was

a warning that "terrorists" could not hide in neighbouring countries, prompting concern abroad of a widening of the Israeli -Palestinian conflict . At an emergency UN Security Council meeting last night, Syria threatened to establish "a resisting and deterring balance

that forces Israel to review its calculations" and accused Mr Sharon of exporting the conflict with the Palestinians. Syria also said the attack threatened "security and peace in the region and internationally." Israel claimed that the strike was carried out in self-defense. According

to analysts from Stratfor, the decision to hit a training camp in Syria was a deliberate attempt to put Syrian leaders on notice that Israel is prepared to engage them if they continue to support Palestinian guerrilla forces.

See: The Guardian , Stratfor , Reuters , Albawaba , Reuters Alert Net

Link to Past EW Trends

Eritrea / Ethiopia EW Development: Action from the International Community Requested by Eritrea

Crisis Implications: The tension between Eritrea and Ethiopia over the implementation of the border ruling continues to escalate. Eritrea has now warned of an "explosive" situation in

the peace process with Ethiopia and called for action from the international community. In his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Sayyid Abdallah accused Ethiopia of a "wholesale assault on the fundamental principles of

international law". "The [peace] process can now be considered explosive, paving the way, as Ethiopian leaders seem to wish, to renewed conflict, with its attendant horrific consequences,

unless the international community acts promptly and decisively,". See: IRIN , IRIN , BBC

Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov DecLatin America & Caribbean

North Atlantic & Northeast Pacific Hurricane Season: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico

South AsiaStorm Season in North Eastern Indian Ocean: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan

Southeast AsiaNorthwest Pacific Storm Season: Thailand, Vietnam

AfricaStorm Season in Southwest Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Mozambique

WFP EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE UNIT (OEP)

TROPICAL STORM SEASONALITY

Hurricanes

Cyclones

Hurricane

Typhoons

Cyclones

DATABASE DEVELOPMENT

Building an internal data-base that makes use of the wealth of information, historical data, and trends available globally.

Includes data on natural hazards, refugees and IDPs, as well as internal WFP operational statistics.

MONITORING SYSTEM

Monitoring system based on external sources of special-ised early warning informa-tion and on internal WFP field reports.

Monitoring covers drought, floods, tropical storms, socio-political trends, vol-

canic and seismic activity.

EXECUTIVE BRIEF: COUNTRIES OF CONCERN

Other United Nations Agencies, NGOs, etc.

Daily EWDs

IM Platform

Field level info exchange

MGMT EPR Outputs

•Global forecasting

•Global mgmt plan

•Global resource positioning

•Contingency Planning (including inter-agency)

•Upfront EPR funding

•Policies and knowledge base (risk mgmt, mitigation, EPR)

•Security and staff safety

•Enhanced info-sharing with Gos, other UN agencies/partners, and donors

Information preparedness tools

Analysis and communication

Hazard calendars

Sample of Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Preparedness Process at WFP

UN World Food Programme

For EWCII Bonn, 16-18 October 2003

PARTNERSHIPS

National Governments & Regional Institutions COs partner with government ministries to share early warning information, for contingency planning, emergency preparedness and response. NEPAD: partnership for strengthening EW in sub-Saharan Africa. Other regional bodies, including IGAAD, SADC, among oth-ers.

Inter-Agency

Through IASC TF on Contingency Planning and Preparedness FAO: working together to develop database on drought and crop calendars. Information-sharing and collaboration with UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA, NGOs, etc.

Early Warning Institutions

Database development: linking with Dart-mouth Flood Observatory, Norwegian Refu-gee Council, USGS and Smithsonian, FEWS and others.

PARTNERSHIPS FOR ENHANCED EARLY WARNING AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL.

UN World Food Programme

For EWCII Bonn, 16-18 October 2003

Some lessons…

•Information mgmt is a complex process but the output message must be simple and accessible, tailored to mgmt decision making

•“Messages” must be accurate, comparable, consistent: standards are necessary to enhance global oversight, prioritisation and consolidation

•The EW function must be integrated into EPR frameworks and practice. EW standing alone is just information.

•Humanitarian organizations must invest on strengthening EW and EPR: an informed manager is a good manager.

•Good EW and EPR make all of us more accountable

AND

•Donors must share responsibilities. The principle of accountability “early warning – early action” must extend to the whole international community.