How effective are the UN specialised agencies in responding to development issues in Africa?

1. How effective are the UN specialised agencies in responding to development issues in Africa? What I will learn: I will be able to analyse the work of the UN specialised agencies and describe the main issues which stop UN agencies being as effective as they could be.

2. As we have seen so far there a number of UN agencies at work in Africa providing aid for development. • However, although the UN has a lot of success stories there is evidence to suggest that the work of the UN specialised agencies cannot always be effective.

3. Conflict • War and Conflict is often seen a barrier to aid. • It poses a major problem when UN agencies have tried to deliver food supplies to those in need.

4. Example!! • In Sudan trucks have been hijacked resulting in 20-30% of food aid being diverted to the army for it’s own use. • Aid workers have come under attack and during the 2000 civil war , Operation lifeline Sudan had to be suspended because of the constant bombing of the area. • As a result tens of thousands of Sudanese people died because of lack of food.

5. Corruption and Kleptocracy • As we have already discussed aid is often stolen by corrupt governments and aid relief given by UN does not always reach the people of the country. • Watch the video clips about corruption and aid. Take notes.

6. Slow to act • The UN agencies have been criticised as being ‘slow to act’. • UN was heavily criticised for inaction for Rwandan genocide in 1994, the slaughter lasted for 100 days and repeated requests for peacekeeping troop were ignored.

7. Lack of Funding • Sometimes the UN agencies are not as effective as they could be due to lack of funding. • Many UN members do not pay their contributions. • Many countries do not pay their share to the UN budget on time or in full, this means that often the UN agencies do not have the correct funding to assist development in Africa.

9. Example!! • In July 2002 a major crisis developed in Angola prompting the UN to call on International donors to fund emergency programmes. • A war in Angola had left millions of people living in appalling conditions and the UN described the crisis as “one of the worst in the world” • UN estimated that over three million people would require emergency assistance.

10. However the UN agencies had a major problem with funding, they only had 41% of funding required to deal with the crisis in Angola. • Even after appeals to international donors the UN still did not have enough money to deal with the crisis, despite the announcement that: • “at least four million people are highly vulnerable of whom nearly two million currently depend on international assistance to survive.”

11. Invitation • UN aid is also not as effective as it could be due to the fact they have to be invited into the country before they can provide aid. • Again in 2000 in Sudan, the Sudanese government down played the extent of the effects of civil war in Darfur and the UN were not invited into the country until the situation became what the UN termed as “dire”. This made UN workers job very difficult.