British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made the announcement during a meeting with Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at Number 10 Downing Street on 22 June when he pledged an additional $8 million (£5 million) for food security and educational textbooks.  This takes the United Kingdom’s planned support to Zimbabwe in 2009/10 to $100 million (£60 million).  The Prime Minister said: “We want to see Zimbabwe prosper.  We want to see the emergence of a free society and genuinely democratic politics.”

The United Kingdom’s International Development Secretary, Mr Douglas Alexander, said: “Our £60 million package will provide support directly to Zimbabwe’s poorest people.  Our assistance has already helped one million people in Zimbabwe get access to clean water and has enabled two million to grow more food, as well as helping get the worst cholera outbreak in the country’s history under control.”

“The new inclusive Zimbabwean Government presents a real opportunity to help the Zimbabwean people and to support economic, political and social reform.  We stand ready to provide more support should we see further progress towards reform.”

The £60 million will include £4 million for local food production, including tools, seeds and fertilizer, and £1 million towards textbooks for Zimbabwean schoolchildren to address the shortage of materials in the country’s newly reopened schools.  The rest of the money will be spent on meeting humanitarian and other essential needs, including medicines and HIV/AIDS treatment; support for water infrastructure and sanitation; the human resources for health scheme; support for smallholder agriculture and livelihoods; assistance for returned migrants; and the implementation of the national gender action plan.

The funds will be channelled through non-governmental organisations and the United Nations.

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