In progress at UNHQ

IHA/603

UNITED NATIONS SEEKS $863,000 FOR EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO DISPLACED PERSONS IN EASTERN ZAIRE

10 July 1996


Press Release
IHA/603


UNITED NATIONS SEEKS $863,000 FOR EMERGENCY HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO DISPLACED PERSONS IN EASTERN ZAIRE

19960710 NEW YORK, 10 July (Department of Humanitarian Affairs) -- The United Nations today launched a special appeal for $863,000 to meet the emergency relief needs of an estimated 250,000 internally displaced persons in the North Kivu Province of eastern Zaire.

The appeal covers a period of six months, and aims at meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable population, such as children in especially difficult circumstances. Planned operations are multisectoral and include projects by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) targeting deficiencies in the health, education, nutrition, water and sanitation sectors. Those operations are designed to complement the ongoing activities of other humanitarian organizations operating in the region, primarily, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins sans Frontières, Netherlands.

It is expected that later this year the Department, in collaboration with all relevant United Nations agencies, will assess the need for a consolidated appeal for the region in 1997.

The launching of today's appeal follows an inter-agency mission to Zaire led by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs that visited the country from 31 May to 5 June. The mission consulted with the Government on the problem of ethnic violence in North Kivu Province and examined the possibility of addressing the humanitarian needs arising out of the crisis.

On 1 July, the United Nations issued a separate special appeal for the Department's coordination operations in the Great Lakes region of Africa. The appeal covers the period from 1 July to 31 December, and called for $1,138,563 to meet the minimum staffing requirements and associated operational costs for the Department's coordination units in Burundi, Rwanda, and for the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) based in Nairobi.

The enhancement of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs' coordination functions and information exchange services from a regional perspective is crucial to the provision of emergency relief assistance to persons affected by conflict in Rwanda and Burundi, and to the neighbouring countries that have provided shelter to some 2 million refugees.

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For information media. Not an official record.