RETURN OF UN STAFF TO AFGHANISTAN DISCUSSED BY HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR AT PRESS BRIEFING IN ISLAMABAD
Press Release
AFG/91
PI/1122
RETURN OF UN STAFF TO AFGHANISTAN DISCUSSED BY HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR AT PRESS BRIEFING IN ISLAMABAD
19990330 ISLAMABAD, 26 March (UNIC) -- The main guest at the weekly press briefing of the United Nations Information Centre in Islamabad was the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Erick de Mul. Stephanie Bunker, newly appointed Spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, was also present.Mr. de Mul provided some background to the return of United Nations staff to Afghanistan. He noted that five internationals had now returned to Kabul. Five others were in Kandahar, and would rotate out over the coming Eid holidays. They would return next week. Mr. de Mul emphasized that the return would be limited, gradual and rotational. He stressed in particular the importance of Afghan national staff in allowing United Nations programmes to continue during the seven months' absence of international staff. During this period, the United Nations had stressed programmes for the alleviation of human suffering, food security and health, and Mr. De Mul gave examples of ongoing activities.
On funding, he stated that the Consolidated Appeal for Afghanistan has so far generated only $14 million out of the $115 needed for highest priority activities, although he said that food donations to the World Food Programme (WFP), for example, are outside the scope of the Appeal and are largely covered. Finally, he referred to the impact of funding shortfalls on various programmes, including the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
To a question from a journalist on the effect of the "non-return" by United States/United Kingdom international staff, he stated that this situation is provisional and still under consideration by New York Headquarters. Given that those nationals are a small percentage of the total, and given that the return was yet limited and rotational, it would be possible to work around this situation in the short term, but over the longer term it might have more serious implications for United Nations activities in Afghanistan
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To a question about conditions in northern Afghanistan and possible return there, Mr. de Mul stated that he had met northern authorities in Dushanbe two weeks ago, and further meetings were planned. He also referred to the recent security assessment of Mazar-i-Sharif. He said that although the United Nations had been out of most of northern Afghanistan since the fall of 1997, United Nations assistance had successfully been delivered there during the earthquakes in 1998 and is now being delivered through the WFP in Badakshan.
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