INFORMATION SAVES LIVES IN HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES, UN OFFICIAL STRESSES

When a crisis or disaster strikes, the victims not only need rapid assistance with food, water, shelter and safety, but fast and effective information describing the situation on the ground, a senior United Nations humanitarian official told a panel discussion in New York today.

"The right information is crucial to being able to make the right decisions, particularly when one's life has been turned upside down by events outside of one's control," stressed UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg in her opening remarks to participants at the meeting.

The discussion, under the banner "Left in the Dark: The Unmet Need for Communication in Humanitarian Response," focused on the information needs of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar in May last year, it was weeks before local humanitarian relief efforts were reinforced by an international response. However, in that time information outlets provided a life-saving service, according to the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Dedicated radio broadcasts helped many to survive in those first critical weeks, telling them how to purify water, treat minor ailments, identify serious medical problems and build basic shelters.

"For people in remote areas of developing countries who may be cut off from help for weeks at a time if a disaster strikes, information is literally a life-saving resource," said Ms. Bragg, who is also Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

Participants at the meeting shared examples of cases where crucial information has successfully reached people caught up in emergency humanitarian situations through the UN, Member States, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The meeting, hosted by OCHA with the BBC World Service Trust and Internews, is part of an ongoing process aiming to make effective two-way communication with affected populations common practice during crises.
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UN ASSESSMENT TEAM CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING AID EFFORTS IN ZIMBABWE

UN ASSESSMENT TEAM CALLS FOR STRENGTHENING AID EFFORTS IN ZIMBABWE
New York, Feb 26 2009 11:00AM

A United Nations inter-agency mission to Zimbabwe today stressed that the country's humanitarian crisis remains grave, and urged both the Government and the international community to support the strengthening of aid efforts.

The team, led by UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg, visited the southern African nation from 21 to 25 February to assess responses to, among other things, a food emergency in which up to seven million people need food aid and a cholera epidemic, which has infected some 83,000 people and already claimed more than 3,800 lives.

"Despite tremendous efforts by both the Government and the humanitarian community in Zimbabwe to contain the cholera epidemic, major challenges remain," Ms. Bragg said in a news release issued at the end of the visit.

While noting the international community's generosity to the people of Zimbabwe so far, the team highlighted the need for further resources in the coming months. This includes resources to effectively contain the country's worst-ever cholera outbreak, including through public health outreach and repairing water and sewage systems.

Additional resources will also be crucial for food aid and to help improve food security, noted the team, which included representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

"We have to ensure farmers have all the agriculture inputs they need for the next planting season, which begins in September. If we do not act now, we could end up next year with a situation similar to what we have today," Ms. Bragg said.

While in Harare, the mission met with Government officials, including President Robert Mugabe, who expressed his appreciation for the support Zimbabwe has been receiving from the humanitarian community, and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr. Tsvangirai was sworn in earlier this month as Prime Minister in a unity government with President Mugabe, following months of political tensions after disputed presidential elections last March.

The mission stressed that the welfare of the people was largely the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe. "We trust that the all-inclusive government will quickly take the necessary steps to address the fundamentals of governance that would allow stability and economic recovery," it stated.
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BAN CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ZIMBABWE ACTIVISTS

BAN CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ZIMBABWE ACTIVISTS
New York, Feb 25 2009 5:00PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the Government of Zimbabwe to free detained opposition activists and human rights defenders, while pledging the continued support of the United Nations as the country tackles the myriad of challenges it faces.

"I hope that these people will be freed as soon as possible," Mr. Ban told a joint news conference with South African President Kgalema Motlanthe in Pretoria.

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in earlier this month as Prime Minister in a unity government with President Robert Mugabe, following months of political tensions after disputed presidential elections last March.

Welcoming the recent inauguration of the new Government of National Unity, Mr. Ban noted that the partnership between the country's parties will need to be nurtured.

"Although the United Nations has no direct mandate to help implement the Agreement reached between the parties, we are ready to ensure that the enormous challenges confronting the Zimbabwean people are effectively addressed," said Mr. Ban.

The UN will do all it can, in particular, to support Zimbabwe tackle its worst-ever cholera epidemic, which has already claimed thousands of lives, he added. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 83,000 people have become sick and more than 3,800 have died since the outbreak began last August.

A UN humanitarian mission to Zimbabwe, led by Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg has just concluded its mission to the country and reports that the humanitarian needs there remain grave, a spokesperson for the world body said today.

According to the mission, there are areas where concerted efforts have led to a declining number of new infections, but there are many places which have not been reached with the required services, and where cholera continues to spread.

The team, which also included WHO, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), said that food security is also a major issue, with a growing number of households reducing the number of meals they have per day. There will be a need for continued food assistance throughout 2009, the scale of which will be determined by upcoming assessments.

Farmers must obtain all the agriculture inputs they need for the next planting season, which begins in September and October. Otherwise, next year could be similar to this year, in which seven million people need food aid, the team added.

Mr. Ban told reporters the international community, led by the UN, stands ready to provide the necessary assistance to support the people of Zimbabwe.

"But all these efforts would be better mobilized, would get stronger and more support from the international community if we can see the promise in political and national reconciliation," he added. "The releasing of political prisoners will be important and desirable not only on the humanitarian and human rights front, but also for the national reconciliation process."

Mr. Ban is on his first official visit to South Africa, where he met for almost two hours today with the President and other officials. In addition to Zimbabwe, they discussed a wide range of political issues including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and South Africa's role in peacekeeping operations.

The Secretary-General also stressed the leading role played by South Africa in engaging non-industrialized countries on the global threat of climate change.

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UN HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL CHECKS ON CHOLERA, FOOD PROJECTS IN ZIMBABWE

UN HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL CHECKS ON CHOLERA, FOOD PROJECTS IN ZIMBABWE
New York, Feb 24 2009 3:00PM

As the cholera toll in Zimbabwe climbs to 83,000 cases, with more than 3,800 deaths, a senior United Nations humanitarian official arrived over the weekend in the country's capital Harare, to assess responses to the epidemic as well as to a food emergency.

Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, visited a cholera treatment centre outside the city today, accompanied by representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

There were more than 364 cholera treatment centres around the country, WHO noted, adding that efforts were being made to decentralize the cholera command centre, now in Harare, in favour of small command centres across the country to ensure access to people in distant villages.

More than 61 per cent of the deaths were still taking place outside treatment centres, in local communities, which meant that many people still did not have such access, the agency said.

The humanitarian group also visited a food distribution centre and a food warehouse, in a district where 60,000 people out of a total population of 83,000 are receiving food aid for the next two months, until the harvest comes in.

The harvest in the area is expected to be poor due to a combination of factors including drought and shortage of seeds and agricultural inputs.
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