Britain sends emergency supplies

Britain sends emergency supplies; 2 WAY EX-WESTMINSTER INT Hilary Benn MP (International Development Secretary) interview SOT - There's been a real problem (in Niger)/ International response has been slow/ Britain was one of the first countries to respond when the United Nations raised the alarm in May/ The money is now flowing and the operation is getting into gear, but it's been too slow and that's why we need to change the system/ In West Africa lots of people live on the margins of existence year in year out/ It's been the locust infestation and the drought that have tipped people over the edge, but there are concerns for surrounding countries - I was in Niger on the 7th February and I met the Prime Minister and the President and they didn't raise any concerns with me/ In April the UN produced a list of twenty three African countries where they feared there was a food crisis and Niger wasn't one of them so something hasn't gone right - The UN raised the alarm on Niger a month before the G8 at Gleneagles/ Niger hasn't attracted publicity/ We need a better system for dealing with this/ last year I said there should be a humanitarian fund which the UN could call on straight away, as soon as they recognise that there's a problem/ I hope we can see progress on that at the Millennium Review in New York in September/ If the humanitarian fund goes ahead I will put in a substantial amount of money from the UK/ The priority is to get food to those that are starving, but we have to learn the lessons of Niger - Nobody can say how many people will die/ We need to get the help in as quickly as possible, but we need to do better Clean Feed Tape = D0601016 OR D0601017 00:24:09:08 - 00:27:52:05 FX/FX Programme as Broadcast Tape = D0601015 Order Ref: T27070534