PRESS BRIEFING BY UN EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kenzo Oshima, briefing correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon, said the events following the

11 September terrorist attack in New York were likely to aggravate the already dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and had potential regional ramifications.

Before outlining the actions taken by the United Nations to date to address the "fast evolving" humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, Mr. Oshima reminded correspondents of a visit he had made to that country in February.  Following this visit, the Secretary-General had also visited the region and had held discussions with the Taliban and with Pakistani authorities in Islamabad, in an effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Mr. Oshima said that the recent statements on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan -- one issued by the heads of six United Nations relief agencies yesterday and another by the Secretary-General today -- contained three important messages.  The first was that the international community was strongly resolved to fight terrorism.  That commitment, and any action based on that commitment, must be designed to protect innocent civilian populations, he said.

Secondly, he said the statements made clear that the international community was concerned about the needs of affected populations in Afghanistan.  In the face of a growing humanitarian crisis, the United Nations and the international humanitarian community would continue to assist and protect Afghan civilian populations in and around the country.

Thirdly, the statements contained an important appeal to the international community and to donor countries, Mr. Oshima said.  Although donor nations had been generous in addressing the Afghan humanitarian crisis, in light of the fast-evolving humanitarian situation, agencies and the international humanitarian community would need increased resources.  The statements also contained appeals to countries in the region to help prevent further tragedy by supporting humanitarian relief efforts, including by ensuring that their borders were open to all those who deserved protection and assistance.

Turning to actions taken by the United Nations to address the current crisis, Mr. Oshima said that the United Nations had launched an exercise to strengthen its ability and preparedness to meet the evolving humanitarian situation.  Staff in Islamabad, on the ground in other places, and at United Nations Headquarters were working around the clock.  He hoped their work would be completed by the middle or end of the week.

Two important meetings were also scheduled to take place soon, Mr. Oshima said.  The Afghan Support Group, which consisted of key donor countries, would meet on Thursday in Berlin.  The Group normally met twice yearly, but in light

of the current situation, the Chair of the Group had called for the meeting. 

Mr. Oshima, along with representatives of other United Nations agencies, would participate in that meeting.

A second meeting -- the Afghan Forum Meeting -- was scheduled to take place on 5 or 6 October in Geneva, Mr. Oshima continued.  The meeting would include donor countries, as well as countries neighbouring Afghanistan, including Iran and Pakistan.  The Forum Meeting, which had been scheduled prior to the 11 September event, would be chaired by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, and Mr. Oshima.

Measures had also been taken to strengthen the United Nations field capacity, Mr. Oshima said.  Key agencies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), had appointed senior officials with regional responsibility to upgrade their preparedness and be ready for any contingencies.

The United Nations would soon be able to announce the appointment of a United Nations regional humanitarian coordinator, Mr. Oshima added.  This person would address the humanitarian situation not only in Afghanistan but also within the region.  Consultations on this appointment were still under way, but an announcement would soon be made.

Asked to elaborate on the term "increased preparedness", Mr. Oshima said it referred to the reinforcement of the United Nations field capacity.  It also involved contingencies for increased refugee outflows from Afghanistan or migration within the country.  While it was difficult to anticipate what might happen in the next days or weeks, it was important for the United Nations to be prepared and to think ahead, including by prepositioning food where possible.

A correspondent asked what level would the new regional humanitarian coordinator hold.  Mr. Oshima said that was still being discussed.  A very capable and experienced team was already in place and the United Nations had been involved in Afghan humanitarian problems for more than 10 years.  Capacity in the field must provide for refugee outflows in many directions.  While refugee flows would most likely be towards Pakistan and Iran, if past migration patterns were any indication, there was also the possibility of refugee outflows in other directions.  Regional implications must also be kept in mind.

A correspondent asked, regarding food delivery into Afghanistan, whether international staff were afraid to enter the country, or the Taliban was blocking the entry of food.  Mr. Oshima said there were very few commercial trucks available inside Afghanistan, making it difficult for the United Nations to deliver food even if people could be found to assist in that effort.  After

11 September, all United Nations staff had been withdrawn from the country and Afghan national staff carried out food delivery.  Their work had become increasingly difficult and food stocks were quickly dwindling.  The WFP was working hard to find ways to deliver additional food, including some form of cross-border operations.  The WFP now planned to carry out cross-border operations on an experimental basis.

Was the Taliban blocking food shipments? a correspondent asked.  "They are not making our work any easier", Mr. Oshima replied.

Asked to comment on a WFP report that the Taliban had seized food stocks in Kandahar, Mr. Oshima said that food had indeed been stolen.  As of now, there was little the United Nations could do about such acts.

"Of course, we are constantly reminding Taliban authorities, both in Kabul and Islamabad, of their obligation regarding United Nations staff and equipment", Mr. Oshima said.  While the United Nations had appealed to the Taliban to protect its premises from looting, at the moment conditions made the work of the United Nations, including the WFP, very difficult.

A correspondent asked if the communications blackout affected operations within Afghanistan.  Mr. Oshima explained that, last Friday, Taliban authorities had entered United Nations offices in Kabul, locking and sealing communications equipment.  The United Nations Coordinator on Afghanistan issued a note to Taliban authorities asking them to maintain minimum communication by allowing one high-frequency radio to operate.  They had been successful in maintaining minimal communication in Herat, but not in other areas.  "Without means of communications, our operation is made extremely difficult, if not impossible", he added.

Asked if Iran had closed its borders, Mr. Oshima said it was his understanding that the borders were officially closed.  Neighbouring countries were, however, concerned about potential refugee outflows, and the Governments of Pakistan and Iran were prepared to make some kind of arrangements to facilitate some of the refugees, including the establishment of additional camps to accommodate refugees.

It was not the case that the borders were completely sealed and no person could filter through, Mr. Oshima added.  The borders were porous and difficult to monitor.  United Nations agencies, in particular the UNHCR, were trying to make practical arrangements to ease the situation along the borders.  While Mr. Oshima did not know how many refugees were crossing borders daily, reports indicated sizeable population migrations towards borders in search of safety, security and life-saving assistance.  Up until now, there had not been any significant refugee crossings across borders in the north, north-east or north-west.

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