Malawi

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — International Development – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 22 January 2003.

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Photo of Clare Short Clare Short Secretary of State, Department for International Development 11:30, 22 January 2003

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was difficult to hear the question, even on the Front Bench. Tony Baldry was right—the problem concerns not just Malawi, but the whole southern African drought and is complicated by the position in Zimbabwe and Zambia on genetically modified crops. It is deepened by high levels of HIV infection, which has affected one third of the population. People become sick quickly, so they cannot get back to farming and there are more orphans. Recovering from this crisis will be extremely difficult—there has not been one like it before and, with HIV and all the other factors, it will take a long time to recover from it.