PRESS BRIEFING BY UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) told correspondents at a Headquarters's press briefing this afternoon that it was becoming more and more difficult to obtain the kind of financial support that could actually make a difference. Ms. Bellamy had just returned from a visit to a number of African countries in which she observed first-hand how humanitarian assistance was making a difference in emergency conditions.

She also met with both partners and donors, particularly in light of the precipitous decline in funding, she said. She visited areas of Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Congo-Brazzaville. (A delayed flight precluded her visit to Sierra Leone). The plight of people caught in conflict no longer seemed to generate a response. She did not know whether that was due to donor fatigue or the so-called "CNN factor" which failed to cover conflict as it was no longer news, or when it covered it to no avail.

The issue of access was crucial, especially in conflict or emergency areas, she said. The Convention on the Rights of the Child reaffirmed the rights of all children everywhere. She also raised the issue of the demobilization of child soldiers in a number of countries, as well as the signing and ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines, and the need for continued financial resources.

She said that the biggest challenge on a daily basis for the activities of "Operation Lifeline Sudan" was access, for which approval was needed from the Sudanese Government to parts of southern Sudan. The UNICEF served as coordinator for the Operation, which was a consortium that included the World Food Programme (WFP) and 35 non-governmental organizations. It had been denied access to some portions of the country in February and March.

It was the hunger season in Sudan, and the situation had been described as "nearing famine", with some 300,000 to 350,000 people at risk, she went on. With better access this month, the consortium was attempting to "catch up" by bringing in food, seeds and tools. The consortium was also engaged in some ongoing development work, crucial even in the most difficult emergencies. In that respect, it had recently completed a national immunization programme during which more than 350,000 children were reached.

Somalia presented yet another example of the extraordinarily difficult security conditions confronting humanitarian workers, she went on. In the southern part of the country where fighting had subsided, people were coming together and forming an administration. Humanitarian aid activities were responding not only to the post-conflict crisis which had affected schools, health facilities and supply resources, they were also confronting the situation resulting from the recent floods in southern Somalia and northern Kenya. As a traditional drought area, the people were ill prepared to cope

with the flooding. Water systems were submerged, and much of their livestock had been lost. In addition, the incidence of disease, such as malaria, had increased.

Her visit to the flood-affected areas of north-eastern Kenya revealed a similar situation, although at least there was a government in Kenya, she said. However, it was a challenge to respond to that area, which was not heavily populated and where access during the flood was terrible. The use of helicopters to deliver relief supplies was very important but also very expensive.

She raised the issue of landmines with the Foreign Ministers of both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Congo-Brazzaville. They assured her that the process towards adhering to the landmines Convention was progressing. She urged that it move faster. In that context, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and UNICEF were focusing particular efforts on African countries, since they represented the most heavily mined region of the world.

She also discussed the issue of child soldiers, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She visited a project in Kissangani, where local authorities and UNICEF staff were attempting to reintegrate the youngsters. Of the 600 children involved, some were soldiers, others were victims of the conflict. The first priority was to deal with their health situation, and attempt to provide some psychological and social counselling. Education was a priority for the older children, and vocational training was aimed at their reintegration.

She briefly visited Congo-Brazzaville, where UNICEF was one of the few United Nations agencies to have stayed even through the greatest difficulties. There, only about half of the children who were in school prior to the conflict last fall were back in school. In the 1980s, that country boasted the highest primary school attendance in Africa, as well as the broadest immunization coverage. She had urged the Government to see whether it could achieve such success again. There was a deep commitment on the part of the Government to deal with children who have had traumatic experience.

While official development assistance had been declining over the last few years, assistance for emergency and humanitarian activities was declining even more precipitously, she said. In the Great Lakes region, only slightly more than 5 per cent of the consolidated appeal for some $550 million had been funded, and only 3.4 per cent -- $50 million -- of UNICEF's requirement had been met. Similarly, only 7 per cent of the consolidated appeal for $109 million towards Sudan had been met, with funding for UNICEF at about 20 per cent. For Somalia, the response rate for $80 million was equally poor.

Asked whether she would support a mechanism to forecast emergency conditions, she said that from UNICEF's perspective, prevention was always more important. That was one of the reasons it looked towards investing in educational programmes, and why, even in the worst of emergencies, it was very important to have some of the basic systems functioning. Without some

UNICEF Briefing - 3 - 30 April 1998

semblance of education, even in the worst conflict, an entire generation was lost. In some countries, at least one or two generations of young people had been unable to receive an education.

Indeed, prevention cost less, and it was much more humane, she said. However, development organizations found themselves in emergencies because they were there before the emergencies erupted, as well as during and after they had subsided. It was important to try to identify those crises sooner, and their resolution should not fall entirely within the purview of the humanitarian organizations. Regional and sub-regional organizations could play an increasing role in mediating some of those difficulties.

To a question about whether she had any plans to go to Sierra Leone, and for an update on the child soldiers, she said she hoped to go there soon. From UNICEF's perspective, the most inroads that had been made in the area of child soldiers in recent conflict areas had been in Liberia, where the authorities had expressed some willingness to deal with that issue.

She said the fact remained that there was an increasing use of children in conflict, whether as soldiers or messengers. Even the fact that weapons were now lighter contributed to the use of children in conflict. The UNICEF would persist in its effort to raise the age at which children could be used in armed services, and to label the use of child soldiers as a war crime. In addition, it would work towards reintegrating those children into society.

Asked about the perceptions of Africa at various levels, and about the impact of the United States President's tour of Africa, she reminded correspondents that the Secretary-General was now in Africa, and that his report on that continent had just been issued. People were remembering Africa. However, there was a sense of hopelessness regarding the situations in Somalia and Sudan, particularly in terms of the lack of access to those areas where hundreds of thousands of people were on the brink of famine. In contrast, the message was mixed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although there seemed to be a commitment on the part of the Government to improve economic conditions, the provision of United Nations assistance was hampered.

To a question about whether she had any more information about the kidnapped Ugandan children in Sudan, she said that the issue was of great concern to UNICEF. Although 14 children had been returned, many more were involved. The UNICEF would continue to both deplore the situation and look for any way to try to keep that from happening. Its Ugandan and Sudanese offices had been very active in that regard.

Asked why no real effort had been made to gain access to southern Sudan, she said she had met with the head of State and senior advisors on that issue, as well as on the kidnapped children from Uganda. Moreover, negotiations were ongoing between the Government in Khartoum and "Operation Lifeline Sudan", which had activities both in the north and south.

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