UNITED NATIONS APPEALS FOR $68.2 MILLION TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN SIERRA LEONE
Press Release
IHA/626
UNITED NATIONS APPEALS FOR $68.2 MILLION TO MEET HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN SIERRA LEONE
19970401 NEW YORK, 1 April (Department of Humanitarian Affairs) -- The United Nations today launched an appeal for $68.2 million to address the humanitarian needs in Sierra Leone following five years of civil conflict, which formally ended with the signing of the Abidjan peace accord on 30 November 1996. The overall improvement in the security climate, combined with efforts made by the Government of Sierra Leone, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations to promote the advantages of timely resettlement, has resulted in the return of approximately 517,000 of the estimated 1.6 million displaced people to their areas of origin.The humanitarian programme reflected in the appeal, for the period from March 1997 through February 1998, is designed to promote the consolidation of peace and to assist the affected population in attaining higher levels of self-sufficiency. Accordingly, food aid will be provided to sustain people displaced or impoverished by the war, to facilitate their return to their communities and to support them while they strive to produce their own sustenance. Similarly, direct benefits such as nutritional supplements, vaccines and educational services for displaced children will be combined with measures to build up the local capacity for the delivery of these services.
The appeal covers programmes of the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Volunteers, World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs. The appeal also contains annexes reflecting the activities and requirements in 1997 of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ($16.4 million) and of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ($1.9 million).
The humanitarian activities in the appeal will provide a basic foundation for the National Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Programme launched by the Government of Sierra Leone in September 1996. The appeal is designed to provide a basic safety net for those affected by the war and for returnees, while the Reconstruction Programme establishes conditions for people to resume their livelihoods.
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