UNITED NATIONS PROVIDES AID TO DISPLACED PERSONS IN TIMOR-LESTE

NEW YORK, 8 June (OCHA) -- The United Nations humanitarian agencies are daily expanding their efforts to provide relief assistance to the more than 100,000 people who have been internally displaced by the recent violence in Timor-Leste.

According to inter-agency assessments, more than 71,000 internally displaced persons are living at 65 locations in the Timorese capital of Dili, while the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) estimates that a further 60 to 70 camps housing between 35,000 and 40,000 people are scattered throughout the country.

Protection, food, water and sanitation, health and shelter have been identified as the priority areas by the Humanitarian Action Group, which includes United Nations agencies and national and international non-governmental organizations meeting under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Labour, Social Welfare and Reintegration.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing comprehensive food packages to vulnerable families and internally displaced persons, drawing from a donation of rice from China.  Today alone, nearly 80 metric tons of rice, corn/soy blend, oil, sugar and high-energy biscuits were distributed in the camps in and around Dili.  Additionally, a first shipment of 50 metric tons of food assistance and nutrition supplements for 1,500 internally displaced persons and 9,000 residents of Atauro Island north of Dili has arrived as a result of the joint efforts of the Government, International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WFP, and non-governmental organization partners.  This shipment included supplies for the WFP school feeding programme.

Water deliveries to internally displaced persons are increasing daily, from 74,000 litres on 4 June, to 143,000 litres today.  UNICEF has delivered nearly 5,000 jerrycans to 8 camps and is working to construct latrines in internally displaced persons’ locations, as well as organizing garbage collection and septic tank and drainage cleaning.  The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working with the national Red Cross to facilitate water distribution at the Comoro pumping station.  Over 200,000 litres of water are being provided daily to various humanitarian organizations.

An inter-agency health promotion group led by UNICEF has begun hygiene work in the internally displaced persons’ camps.  The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF have begun to provide antenatal services in the camps and screening of young children for malnutrition will be undertaken.  Additionally, UNICEF will begin a mass measles vaccination campaign for children aged 6 months to 14 years early next week.  Internally displaced persons will be targeted during the first week of the campaign and residents of surrounding areas in the second, so that the campaign includes the whole of Dili.

Tents, plastic sheeting and other non-food relief items provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for up to 30,000 people are arriving.  ICRC is also providing food, mosquito nets and tarpaulins to displaced families.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570.  OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.

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For information media • not an official record