UN APPEALS FOR $153 MILLION FOR RELIEF AND IMMEDIATE REHABILITATION IN HONDURAS, NICARAGUA, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA AND BELIZE
Press Release
IHA/672
UN APPEALS FOR $153 MILLION FOR RELIEF AND IMMEDIATE REHABILITATION IN HONDURAS, NICARAGUA, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA AND BELIZE
19981203 GENEVA/NEW YORK, 3 December (OCHA/UNDP) -- In an effort to cover the continuing humanitarian relief needs and immediate rehabilitation requirements in five countries of Central America following the devastating Hurricane Mitch, the United Nations today presented donors with a Transitional Appeal for $153 million for six months.More than 3 million people were directly affected by Hurricane Mitch as it swept across Central America, in particular Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize, early in the last week of October. The disaster resulted in torrential rains, flooding and landslides. Many lost their lives in the disaster and half a million people lost their homes. There is now an urgent need for humanitarian assistance, particularly to the poorest, in the form of clean water and food, shelter, emergency health services, education as well as urgently needed help in agriculture.
At a meeting to present the appeal organized today by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and attended by appealing agencies, donors were informed that the Transitional Appeal was intended to tide over the next six months leading up to finalization of country-specific reconstruction projects.
Of the $152,934,914 appealed for, $82.93 million is for Honduras, $38.2 million for Nicaragua, $16.19 million for El Salvador, $14.25 million for Guatemala, $846,000 for Belize and $490,000 are for regional activities.
This appeal document is a joint effort undertaken in the field by the United Nations in-country teams under the coordination of the United Nations Resident Coordinators and at headquarters level. The appealing agencies are the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNDP, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Copies of the appeal document may be requested from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs/Disaster Response Branch by e-mail (contact: erik.haegglund@dha.unicc.org). The document is also available on the Office's website: http://www.reliefweb.int/.
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