20091207

HARARE (Reuters) - Aid agencies, led by the United Nations, on Monday launched an appeal for $378 million to meet Zimbabwe's humanitarian needs, amid signs that the crisis facing the country is easing under its unity government.

Zimbabwe's power-sharing government, formed by President Robert Mugabe and his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in February, has presided over improving social conditions in the country, but aid agencies say more needs to be done.

More than 70 aid organisations, including U.N. agencies, are requesting the money to for food security and to improve health, water and sanitation.

U.N. assistant secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Catherine Bragg, who presided over the launch ceremony in Harare, noted an improvement in Zimbabwe's social conditions under the unity government.

"Zimbabwe is experiencing a gradual shift from humanitarian crisis to recovery following political changes that positively affected socio-economic conditions," she said.

"Despite improvements in food security, the country still faces a substantial national cereal deficit and an estimated 1.9 million will need food assistance at the peak of the hunger season, between January and March."

Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis peaked last year when a cholera outbreak, blamed on collapsing health, water and sanitations systems, killed over 4,000 people in nearly 100,000 cases. About 7 million people needed food aid in 2008.

Bragg said the easing crisis meant the 2010 aid request would be the lowest since agencies and the U.N. began the appeals process in 2006.

Donors managed to provide 64 percent of the 2009 appeal of

$719 million.

Western donors, seen as key in Zimbabwe's recovery efforts, have been providing mostly humanitarian aid while holding out on direct assistance to the government until it implements broad political reforms.