The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday 20 March, expressed its “profound sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the devastating tropical cyclone Idai” in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, and welcomed the fact that the EU had mobilised €3.5 million in aid the previous day (including €250,000 in initial humanitarian aid that was to be made immediately available).
“At the same time, we call on international donors to allocate emergency and natural disaster intervention aid funds, and to speed up humanitarian and reconstruction aid” the JPA co-chairs said in a joint statement.
ACP members, MEPs and the European Union also expressed their condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims.
From the €3.5 million aid package, €2 million will be provided in Mozambique (1.7 million people affected), €1 million in Malawi (more than 920,000 people affected) and €0.5 million in Zimbabwe (500,000 people affected).
In announcing the funds, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said that the EU had sent its technical experts on the ground and that the Copernicus satellite system had been activated “to identify needs and help our humanitarian partners and the local authorities in their response” to this tragedy, which has left more than 200 people dead, countless injured and considerable levels of destruction.
Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are three countries that are part of the group of 79 ACP (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) countries that are linked to the EU by the Cotonou Agreement. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)