Paul Connaughton
Question:43 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the reported famine in West Papua New Guinea, Irian Jaya. [22417/97]
Written Answers. - Humanitarian Relief.
As the Deputy will be aware, the entire island of New Guinea, which is shared by Irian Jaya-West Papua and Papua New Guinea, has been severely affected by the El Nino phenomenon. No significant rainfall has occurred on the island since April 1997. Due to the lack of cloud cover the drought has been exacerbated by frost which has destroyed many crops.
These problems have been aggravated in the western part of the island by forest fires. In common with other areas of Indonesia, fires were started by local farmers in Irian Jaya-West Papua to clear land in the expectation that the rains would extinguish them. I understand that the fires have restricted access to many areas and have, in addition, prevented vulnerable people from seeking food in the nearby forests.
UN assessments indicate that at least 500,000 people throughout New Guinea, around 10 per cent of the population, are currently suffering from malnourishment. In addition to food shortages, many of the available water sources have dried up or become polluted leading to an increase in diseases such as scabies and diarrhoea. While I hesitate to describe the current situation as a famine, there is no doubt that substantial and well-targeted humanitarian assistance is needed in both parts of the island of New Guinea to avert a crisis.
In this context, the Government has made an immediate allocation of £50,000 for emergency humanitarian relief to the island of New Guinea. This grant will be channelled through the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs, UNDHA. UNDHA has been providing relief supplies, medical assistance and transport to the worst affected areas. The grant will be divided equally between those most in need in Irian Jaya-West Papua and Papua New Guinea. Officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs continue to monitor the situation closely and the Government is open to considering allocating further grants to promote food security in the coming months.