I also believe there needs to be a third phase, where we seek out lessons learned. I have talked to agree. Lessons learned from the drought in the mid-1980s have served us well during this crisis, particularly the importance of creating the Ethiopian Food Security Reserve. Clearly there are lessons to be learned this time as well, in order to prepare for the next drought. Some of you may be aware that the United States took a long time to repay 90,000 MT to the reserve, and this delay has hampered the response to this crisis.
Greater priority needs to be given to timely response in the future.
Assessments of need would be improved by better nutritional information. This would allow better targeting of the most needy. More timely and comprehensive information on actual distributions of food must be available to the Ethiopian Government and donors. Again, this would allow better targeting and improve the efficiency of overall operations. Finally, development programs must be put in place, particularly in the agricultural sector, which help prepare for the next drought and begin to move the poorest Ethiopians to the point where they can feed themselves.