HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS IN ERITREA FACE FUNDING CRISIS

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HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS IN ERITREA FACE FUNDING CRISIS

United Nations   Nations Unies

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA]

(NEW YORKNew York,:   10 March 2003h):(OCHAffice for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) -- As part of the United NationsUn’s effort to maintain  themaintain the aid pipeline to Eritrea,Mr. Simon Nhongo, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Eritrea, will arrive in New York on 11 March to speak to a group of key donors.  Humanitarian efforts in Eritrea are facing a funding crisis as the United NationsUnConsolidated Iinter-Agency Appeal for Eritrea has received so little of the of $163,389,457  million required---just 2 percent--- that there is a good possibility aid reserves will run out by the end of the month. 

The Appeal was launched in November 2002 to help 2.3 million of Eritrea’s 3.2 million people, in areas such as food, water and health. So far, United NationsUNaAgencies have received just 25 per cent%of the food they will need to meet the needs of Eritreans in 2003. 

Seeking to increase donor support for the appeal, Mr. Nhongo and members of the United NationsUN country team for Eritrea spoke with officials from the United Statess Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington last week. On Monday, 10 March, they will meet with representatives of Canadian aid aAgencies in Ottawa.

Food shortages in Eritrea have become critical.  A combination of drought and the lingering effects of war have left Eritreans’' coping mechanisms at an all-time low.  At a time when the country is moving away from humanitarian relief towards rehabilitation and recovery, it is again faced with another year of severe drought following the failure of seasonal rains.   An estimated 1.4 million people are affected by the drought, out of a population of 3.29 million.

The droughthad lead to widespread crop failures and water shortages.  In addition, Eritrea suffers the continuing effects of war and generalized poverty, including the need to ensure a safe environment for the return of thousands of internally displaced persons(IDPs), expellees and returning refugees and their reintegration in many parts of the country. The urgency of demobilization, demining, and territorial demarcation to consolidate peace and stability remains as strong as ever.

The population now considered vulnerable has increased from 1.36 million in 2001-2002 to an estimated 2.3 million with much of the increase as a result of the widespread drought.  

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Bureau de la Coordination des Affaires Humanitaires

Regional Support Office for West Africa  - Bureau Regional d’Appui pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest

PRESS RELEASE

US 15.9 million can avert a massive humanitarian crisis in Cote d’Ivoire and the sub-region

UN agencies and other humanitarian actors, estimate that about 3.9 million persons need assistance and support in terms of shelter, water and sanitation, food, health, education and protection IN Côte d'Ivoire AND THE SUB-REGION during the next three months.

On 21 November 2002, humanitarian agencies in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire launched a Flash Appeal to mobilize US$ 15.9 million to cover from November 2002 to January 2003, the immediate pressing humanitarian needs and to avert a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and three priority (neighbouring?) countries, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

Within Côte d’ Ivoire, justabout US$ 7 million are being sought to provide humanitarian assistance to forover 3.4 million beneficiaries targeted for humanitarian assistanceout of a total population of 15.3 million people (about 20% of the totaloverallpopulation). In Burkina Faso US$ 1.1 million is needed for some 143,600 vulnerable people,  being targeted, while in Ghana just over US$ 819,500 is needed for about 187,000 people. In addition, US$ 818,800 is being sought for about 95,000 evacuees, transiting populations, asylum seekers and host communities targeted for assistance in Mali. A total of US$ 6 million is needed for relevant regional response capacities.  (This is confusing.  How does it add up to the 15.9 million above?)

The working scenario for this flash appealassumesthat a  remains a military stalemate will prevail, with the insurgents holding part of the north, while the Government controls the southern portion of the country. national territory.With an interposition force to be deployed shortly as part of within the context ofthe peace settlement process initiated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), humanitarian organizations are closely monitoring developments and the strain the current crisis is placing on the Ivorian society. This will enable relief organizations to ensure that their operations remain relevant and efficient for those made destitute, homeless or otherwise vulnerable. The number of status quo is expected to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and multiply the number of people requiring some sort of relief assistance during the next 90 daysis expected to increase. .

[Nature of problem:  IDPs, economic disruption, etc.  Then—what the aid community has done so far.  “In the past weeks the aid community in CDI has”…done what to gear up?  Set up new presence in Yamoussoukro, etc….]

The ability of the humanitarian community including national and international actors to address current emergency needs and more importantly to target relief aid so as to avert a massive humanitarian crisis depends on the swift and equitable allocation of resources for the interventions outlined in the appeal and for other initiatives undertaken to complement efforts included in this Inter-Agency Appeal. This sub-regional crisis, stemming from the situation in c

Cote d’iIvoire,represents a unique opportunity for for the implementation of the concept of cconflict prevention as part of an integral component ofan integrated response to a humanitarian emergency that has the potential to forbecome ing a regional humanitarian tragedy of unmanageable proportions.

For further information please contact:

Mrs. Besida Tonwe

Head of OCHA Regional Support Office for West Africa

Tel: (225) 22405170

Cell phone: (225) 07013663

Ms. Rosa Malango

Humanitarian Affairs Officer, OCHA Regional Support Office for West Africa

Tel: (225) 22405171

Cell phone: (225) 07013664