IHA/587

UNITED NATIONS APPEALS FOR $107.6 MILLION FOR EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SUDAN IN 1996

7 February 1996


Press Release
IHA/587


UNITED NATIONS APPEALS FOR $107.6 MILLION FOR EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SUDAN IN 1996

19960207 NEW YORK, 7 February (Department of Humanitarian Affairs) -- The United Nations launched today a consolidated inter-agency appeal for $107,574,977 for the humanitarian assistance programme in the Sudan during 1996. The appeal, which updates emergency humanitarian assistance requirements for war-affected and displaced populations throughout that country, reflects the requirements of six United Nations agencies and programmes -- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO). They will implement projects in seven main areas: food aid, nutrition, health and water, agriculture, education, information and coordination.

These programme proposals are based on the results of annual and joint needs assessments missions carried out late last year by several United Nations entities, including the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission of November-December 1995. The appeal constitutes a framework for assistance to needy civilian populations to be provided through Operation Lifeline Sudan. While a dramatic growth in access and increase in participating organizations since 1992 has permitted some humanitarian activities to be focused on rehabilitation and local capacity-building, meeting the survival needs of the affected populations for food and non-food items is the overriding priority, particularly in areas of the country affected by renewed or ongoing hostilities and insecurity.

This United Nations appeal covers 2.1 million war-affected and displaced beneficiaries in the south for relief food and support at a cost of $40.3 million. In addition, 4.25 million accessible war-affected persons will be beneficiaries of projects in the area of nutrition, health and water. It is estimated that approximately 850,000 children under the age of five will receive assistance within this framework, at a cost of $30.2 million.

About $9.5 million is being sought for activities in the areas of agriculture, livestock and fishery. Assistance under this sector would include emergency supplies to enhance food production to 220,000 war-affected households in Equatoria, Upper Nile, Bahr El-Ghazal and the transitional zone; supply of drugs and vaccines for control and prevention of livestock diseases; provision of seeds to 205,000 farming households in drought-prone areas of

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Kordofan and Darfur; and provision of other similar inputs to 440,000 households in southern Sudan and transitional zone.

Under the appeal, $8.5 million is for other relief activities designed to provide schooling to 1.3 million primary school-age children, specialized treatment and care for 10,000 children in especially difficult circumstances, as well as the provision of relief supplies and shelter for 40,000 displaced families. This area of activities will also cover logistics for various non- food interventions for 700,000 persons in the Juba, Tonga-Fanjak, Renk-Mlakal and Sobat corridors, as well as resources for information campaigns to promote awareness of and adherence to humanitarian principles, and reintegration efforts for female-headed and internally displaced families.

A total of $15.7 million is needed to fund projects for refugees and returnees, including multi-sectoral assistance to 312,000 refugees of various origins, voluntary repatriation of 80,000 Eritreans refugees and 80,000 Ethiopian refugees.

Inter-agency coordination and monitoring and evaluation activities relating to the efforts to improve the quality and flow of information feed- back to Operation Lifeline Sudan will require $2.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

The consolidated inter-agency appeal for the Sudan in 1995 had called for $101 million, of which $50.6 million had been received (50.1 per cent). Donors are requested to contribute generously to the 1996 appeal.

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For information media. Not an official record.