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Facts, figures and the latest updates from WFP's high profile emergencies.

· WFP needs to pre-position over 32,700mt of food to cover EMOP beneficiaries’ needs for 5 months from July to November 2009. Given the six month lead time for food delivery to Chad coupled with the poor road conditions within the country, timely contributions are needed to commence 2009 preposition by early February 2009.

· As of June, roads in eastern Chad are officially closed due to rains blocking access to the refugee camps and IDP sites.

· FAO completed the 1st phase of the CFSAM and the 3rd phase of the WFP/FAO CFSAM combining the FAO crop part; and the Meher needs assessment is expected in mid January 2009. The 1st part of the FAO mission indicated that crop performance is good and harvest could be average especially for the main crop growing areas in the western parts of the country. Teff production is likely to be below average due to the effect of the unseasonal rains. Harvest prospects are below average in the eastern half of the country.

· There is growing concern about the availability of water and adequate pasture in arid areas of Somali, Afar, Tigray and Oromiya regions should the current dry spell continue and belg rains come late.

· The budget for the PRRO-Recovery document has so far been cleared up to level 4. The document is currently being processed by HQ.

· Preparations for the implementation of blanket supplementary feeding and pilot of supplementary plumpy in south-Somalia have been completed. They include training of cooperating partners and WFP staff on the use of supplementary plumpy to address moderate malnutrition among children under five and pre-positioning of commodities required for the intervention. Implementation of the project is scheduled to start next week.

· WFP has finalized draft field level agreements for signature with 31 NGOs that have been selected to undertake relief food distributions in December in five areas formerly supported by CARE international in Hiran, Middle Shabelle and Gedo regions of south-central Somalia. A total of 8,440 mt has been planned by WFP as a response to the increased food insecurity and high malnutrition rates in the areas, which have a global acute malnutrition rate of above 20 percent.

· An inter-agency security assessment to Buram and Wad Hajam in South Darfur, following last week’s report of ethnic clashes, reported at least 88 deaths, 1,265 households displaced and significant damage to surrounding villages and towns. A humanitarian mission is planned for 22 December to assess urgent needs.

Despite the unstable situation in the Buram – Tulus area, WFP was able to accomplish food deliveries to Gereida in readiness for the handover of the food assistance programme from ICRC. In January 2009, WFP and CARE will take over the programme in Gereida, the largest IDP camp in Darfur, from ICRC.