UNICEF HEAD SPEAKS OUT AGAINST VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN YEMEN

The head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for "immediate and secure" access to people uprooted by escalating clashes – mostly children and women – between Government forces and rebels in northern Yemen.

"Children cannot be the innocent victims of conflict," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in a statement issued yesterday, noting that the agency stands ready to assist civilians caught up in the conflict.

The humanitarian situation in camps, she said, is becoming ever more dire due to the lack of basic services, including safe water, sanitation and nutrition.

"Thousands of more families remain trapped inside the conflict zone, unable to reach safer areas," Ms. Veneman added. "They, too, are in urgent need of humanitarian support."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today that insecurity is hindering aid agencies' efforts to reach people affected by the fighting, which could ultimately uproot up to 150,000 people.

Including those displaced by previous violence, some 119,000 people in Sa'ada governorate have fled clashes between Government troops and Al Houthi rebels which are now spreading to the neighbouring Amran governorate.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today that the violence has affected 35,000 in the past two weeks alone.

Stepped up fighting in recent days "is worsening what is already a dire and complex humanitarian emergency," agency spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told reporters in Geneva.

"We are especially worried about the situation in Sa'ada city, the provincial capital of Sa'ada governorate," he said, noting that a UNHCR team has reported that there has been no water and electricity there since 10 August.

Additionally, there is a fuel shortage and it is becoming increasingly perilous for people to reach markets to purchase food, Mr. Mahecic said.

Although UNHCR, which last week called on donors for an additional $5 million to respond to the latest emergency, has registered hundreds of newly displaced families, registration has been suspended due to security situation inside the city as well as a curfew.

Along with preparing new aid shipments, the agency is working with local authorities on the construction of a new camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) that could house up to 3,500 people.

According to OCHA, the violence has made it difficult for humanitarian workers to access the uprooted and accurately assess the situation, with the Sa'ada airport having been closed to all non-military activities.

Travel by land from Yemen's capital, Sana'a, has been hampered by roadblocks, with UN agencies having evacuated non-resident staff from Sa'ada on 20 August.

The Ministry of Public Health has pointed to an alarming situation in Sa'ada, which borders Saudi Arabia and is a relatively remote and inaccessible region where many health facilities are currently not functioning.

According to an inter-agency assessment in Haradh, many IDPs were found to be living without shelter or water and are at risk of heat stroke and severe dehydration. Further, cases of diarrhoeal diseases and child malnutrition have been reported.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has airlifted 40 metric tonnes of high energy biscuits, distributing 10 metric tonnes of food aid to 7,000 newly-displaced people in Hajjah governorate. It started delivering a one-month ration of cereals, pulses, vegetable, salt and sugar on 23 August for 10,000 people.

For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided two trauma kits to the Ministry of Public Health, while a mobile health clinic was deployed last week.

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has released $1.2 million for rapid response measures to provide immediate assistance to 25,000 people displaced by previous fighting in Sa'ada.

A flash appeal, to fund life-saving assistance for up to 150,000 IDPs and other indirectly affected people, is being prepared.
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YEMEN : UN RELEASES EMERGENCY FUNDS TO HELP PEOPLE TRAPPED BY FIGHTING

The United Nations has released over $200,000 in emergency funding to meet health needs in northern Yemen , the scene of deadly fighting between Government troops and rebels.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has received the funds from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to help civilians uprooted by clashes in the Al-Malaheed area of Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia and is a relatively remote and inaccessible region, where the violence has been concentrated.

WHO will use the influx of funds to provide health services, especially for women and children, as well as treat diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.
The agency has already sent enough medical supplies to treat 200 people who have sustained injuries in the fighting, with plans to send more supplies next week.
Staff have been dispatched from WHO's regional office in Cairo , Egypt , to Yemen , and the agency is working with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to coordinate a combined health and nutrition response to the situation.

Yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern about escalating hostilities in northern Yemen , appealing to all sides in the clashes to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected areas, his spokesperson Marie Okabe said following questions from journalists.
He also voiced hope that the situation in would soon be resolved by peaceful means and that the fighting will stop.
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SPIRALING VIOLENCE CLAIMS HUNDREDS OF LIVES IN SOMALIA – UN REFUGEE AGENCY

The United Nations refugee agency today voiced its grave concern over the escalating violence and worsening displacement crisis in the Somali capital, where local hospitals report that over 250 civilians have been killed and nearly 1,000 others wounded since fighting erupted last month.

Continued fighting, which broke out on 7 May in several parts of north-west Mogadishu between Government forces and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam, "is leaving a trail of civilian casualties, destruction and renewed displacement," William Spindler, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva.

Since violence broke out last month, the agency estimates that over 160,000 people have been driven to other parts of Somalia or to neighbouring nations, with some 26,000 uprooted between 19 and 22 June alone.

Most of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), numbering nearly 50,000, have moved to safer areas within Mogadishu or to makeshift camps on the capital's outskirts. A further 45,000 people have fled towards the so-called Afgooye corridor 30 kilometres south-east of Mogadishu, joining 400,000 other IDPs who have been displaced since 2007.

Some of the newly displaced are families who had recently returned to the capital after a period of relative peace in the first quarter of this year, Mr. Spindler said.

"Many IDPs tell stories of hardship and suffering as they try to flee the embattled Somali capital," he added, noting that most people escaping the clashes are leaving on minibuses, whose drivers are charging $250 or more, carrying 20 people on average.

According to UNHCR's local partners, a mother of six who had left Mogadishu said it took her nine days to reach Afmadow, 400 kilometres west of the capital, with transporters taking her money and leaving her family stranded along the route.

"The deteriorating security situation has sharply reduced deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the displaced in and around Mogadishu," the agency's spokesperson said, adding that UNHCR partners, which are providing emergency aid to IDPs, are facing growing security problems.

Neighbouring Kenya is seeing numbers of Somalis crossing the border increase. Since the start of the year, 38,000 new refugees – virtually all of them from Somalia – have arrived. The Dabaab camp, the largest in the world, is currently home to nearly 300,000 people, three times the number it is intended to hold.

More than $4 million has been allocated from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to alleviate overcrowding and assist Somali refugees at Kenyan camps, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

Last week, the Security Council voiced its concern at the situation in Somalia, reiterating its support for the Transitional Federal Government, its efforts to achieve peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia through the UN-facilitated Djibouti process, which aided the formation of the new government in February, as well as the creation of a newly-expanded Parliament and election of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
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UN REFUGEE CHIEF APPEALS FOR MORE AID TO HELP UPROOTED PAKISTANIS

UN REFUGEE CHIEF APPEALS FOR MORE AID TO HELP UPROOTED PAKISTANIS
New York, May 14 2009 5:00PM
The top United Nations refugee official today issued a call for a massive surge in international assistance to help the over 800,000 Pakistanis recently displaced by clashes between Government forces and militants in the country's north-west.

"This is not a moment for small gestures," High Commissioner António Guterres said during a visit to the Yar Hussein camp in the Swabi district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

He kicked off a three-day mission to Pakistan today to assess the emergency response of the UN refugee agency (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a0c3f742.html">UNHCR), which has been rushing aid to the region, to stem the ongoing displacement crisis.

Deploring the pace at which the displacement is occurring, Mr. Guterres emphasized that the time has come for the international community to repay Pakistan for its generosity in hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the years.

Since 2 May, over 835,000 people have been registered as displaced, with fewer than one-tenth of them sheltering in camps. This is on top of the more than 500,000 people registered as fleeing their homes after earlier fighting in the north-west since last August.

Most of the uprooted are staying with relatives or friends, resulting in social and economic hardships, the High Commissioner said. "The dimensions of the problem are far out of proportion to the available resources."

While at the Yar Hussain camp, he spoke with refugee families, saw the registration of new arrivals and met with Pakistani aid workers.

He also visited a World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/stories/pakistan-wfp-reaches-650000-idp-population-grows">WFP) distribution centre, where he watched relief workers hand out food and UNHCR non-food items.

Earlier today, Mr. Guterres met with Najmuddin Khan, Minister for States and Frontier Regions, and Frida Wazir of the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees.

On Tuesday, UNHCR airlifted 120 tonnes of relief supplies – including 10,000 mosquito nets and 14,000 plastic sheets for emergency shelters – from its regional stockpile in Dubai.

Additionally, the agency has been working with Pakistani authorities and organizations to register and help the displaced.

For its part, the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) is working to support health services in camps as well as mobile outreach to cover those sheltering in host communities. Since 9 May, it has delivered 20 mini-emergency health kits – enough for 120,000 people for one month – to internally displaced persons (IDPs) at various sites in NWFP.

The agency has received over $500,000 from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to meet the health needs of the half million people uprooted by violence and natural disasters in the Province between August 2008 and March 2009 before the current counter-insurgency operation started two weeks ago.

The CERF money will support projects targeting the prevention and control of communicable diseases, the strengthening of health systems, and the provision of clean water and hygienic conditions.
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UN AGENCY READIES FOR HEALTH CRISIS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN

UN AGENCY READIES FOR HEALTH CRISIS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN
New York, May 13 2009 5:00PM
The United Nations health agency said today it is bracing itself for a humanitarian health crisis in north-west Pakistan as fighting between government forces and militants threatens to uproot a further 800,000 people taking the total number of displaced to well over a million.

The World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) has received over $514,000 from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to meet the health needs of almost 550,000 people who had already been displaced by violence and natural disasters in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) between August 2008 and March 2009 before the current counterinsurgency operation started two weeks ago.

The CERF money will support projects targeting the prevention and control of communicable diseases, the strengthening of health systems, and the provision of clean water and hygienic conditions.

The agency reported some 22 disease outbreaks of varying severity since August, including acute watery diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea, measles, malaria, chicken pox and mumps. Fatalities related to waterborne diseases had also been recorded.

WHO also reported that over 4,000 of the 20,000 children under the age of five that they had surveyed in NWFP suffered from acute malnutrition.

Underfed children and women with low immunity are more likely to contract communicable diseases, especially in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and districts with compromised water and sanitation systems, WHO warned.

Meanwhile, a cargo jet charted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) yesterday delivered 120 tonnes of additional relief supplies for immediate distribution to those fleeing the fighting. The supplies were taken to the agency's warehouse in Peshawar, and then distributed to various sites hosting displaced people.
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UN AGENCIES ASSIST SOME 650,000 IN GROWING PAKISTANI HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

UN AGENCIES ASSIST SOME 650,000 IN GROWING PAKISTANI HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
New York, May 12 2009 12:00PM
Responding to the deepening humanitarian crisis in north-west Pakistan, United Nations agencies are ramping up emergency aid to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Government offensive against militants along the troubled border region with Afghanistan.

Together with Government authorities, UN agencies in Pakistan are working to provide the affected families with basic necessities, such as food and nutrition assistance, shelter, water, sanitation facilities, primary health care and education.

The World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) has been providing emergency food rations to around 650,000 people who have fled the conflict areas in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), including some 200,000 newly arrived internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Lower Dir, Swat and Buner districts.

"WFP has mobilized in-country stocks and is prepared to feed the growing population of internally displaced persons for the next two to three months. Assisting hungry families is our first priority," said the agency's Pakistan Country Representative Wolfgang Herbinger.

The agency announced plans to double the amount of emergency food aid assistance reaching registered IDPs in camps as well as in host communities, who account for more than 80 per cent of all those displaced. In addition, WFP is setting up food distribution hubs in Mardan and Swabi districts, the main destination for the latest wave of IDPs.

"We need the international donor community to quickly step forward with donations to avoid any interruptions in food distributions," stressed Mr. Herbinger.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) <"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/media?page=home&id=4a09473b2">announced that a Boeing 747 carrying 120 tons of relief supplies left Dubai this morning en route for Islamabad.

The shipment includes some 10,000 mosquito nets, 14,000 plastic sheets for emergency shelters, 1,500 plastic rolls to build walls and privacy screens in camps, and two portable warehouses from UNHCR central stockpiles, which are headed for the agency's depot in Peshawar to be distributed among various IDP camps in NWFP.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has facilitated the emergency flight, as well as provided some 10,000 tents to UNHCR in support of its relief efforts.

<"http://www.unhcr.org/news.html">UNHCR reported that as of late Monday a total of 501,496 displaced people from the new influx have been formally registered since 2 May. More than 80 per cent of these IDPs are sheltering with relative, friends and host communities while 72,707 are taking refuge in makeshift camps.

High Commissioner António Guterres said the speed and scale of the crisis is posing huge challenges for the Government and the humanitarian community, while highlighting the urgent need for more resources.

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which holds some $450 million in reserve to allow the world body quick access to life-saving funds in sudden crisis, has allocated more than $8 million to fund humanitarian projects for people affected by the military operations in north-western Pakistan.

WFP will receive $2.8 million of the allocation to provide full food rations to those displaced for one month. Another $2.15 million will bolster UNHCR efforts to provide household items such as blankets and cooking utensils to people living in camps.

Some $1.9 million will go towards the provision of emergency health care, safe water and hygiene to the families who have been displaced, and the remainder will go to psycho-social programmes for children and a project to strengthen measures ensuring the safety and security of aid workers in the area.

A humanitarian appeal for Pakistan that was launched in September 2008 has so far received 47 per cent of the $166 million required, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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FLOODS DISPLACE THOUSANDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, UN SAYS

Floods across southern Africa, caused by extreme rainfall, have caused massive damage to land and property and displaced thousands of people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

In Angola alone, the lives of 160,000 people have been upset by the rains and OCHA fears that number is likely to increase, with schools and other public buildings being used as shelter, interrupting education and other public services.

With some $600,000 already allocated to various emergency actions in Angola, UN humanitarian agencies are requesting more funds for shelter, food and other necessities from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is managed by OCHA.

In Namibia, where 13,000 people have been displaced, many health facilities and schools are either flooded or inaccessible, the Office reported.

Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has declared an emergency for the north-central and north-eastern part of the country and appealed for international assistance. In response, a Flash Appeal based on the outstanding needs jointly identified by the Government, the UN and humanitarian partners, is being finalized.

In addition, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team has arrived in Namibia to help survey the situation and provide support to the local authorities.

Also in Namibia, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is assisting with sanitation and communication materials, as well as with planning for gaps in education and protection of displaced persons. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is also supporting protection projects within the relocation camps.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has allocated $27,800 to the Namibian Ministry of Health for emergency kits to ensure basic health care for about 10,000 people, which includes five tons of medicine for diarrhoeal diseases and other emergency materials.

On the east coast, Cyclone Izilda is now dissipating south-west of Madagascar but could still pour more rainfall onto central and southern Mozambique, OCHA said.

The Office added that international response to the previous two cyclones that affected Madagascar in January has been adequate, but $400,000 is still required as an emergency measure to rehabilitate 20 classrooms for some 3,000 children who risk losing an entire school year.

Most of Zambia, northern and southern Malawi, and northern Botswana have also been hit by deluges, OCHA said.
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QATAR GIVES $40 MILLION, MOSTLY TARGETED AT GAZA, TO BOOST UN HUMANITARIAN RELIEF

QATAR GIVES $40 MILLION, MOSTLY TARGETED AT GAZA, TO BOOST UN HUMANITARIAN RELIEF
New York, Feb 23 2009 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his appreciation for a $40 million donation from Qatar to aid United Nations emergency relief and recovery efforts around the world.

The majority of the funding – some $30 million – is targeted at the world body's humanitarian operations in Gaza, and $10 million has been allocated to the Central Emergence Response Fund (CERF), created in 2006 to speed relief for natural and man-made disasters and save thousands of lives that would otherwise be lost to delay.

In a statement attributable to his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he "is honoured to accept a generous $40 million contribution from the Emir of Qatar to United Nations humanitarian agencies for programmes to meet the emergency needs of civilians in Gaza."

Of the $30 million allocated to Gaza, devastated by Israel's three-week military offensive with the stated aim of stopping Hamas rocket attacks into its territory, some $10 million will be distributed to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support its life-saving activities.

The remaining Gaza funds will be shared by the World Food Programme, which provides emergency food assistance to more than one million Gazans, humanitarian projects of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and programmes headed by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) to help rebuild the damaged agricultural sector.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will also receive funding for its coordination and advocacy activities in the Gaza Strip.

"The Secretary-General is particularly grateful to Qatar for allocating $10 million from the pledge to go to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in the statement.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, stressed that "the $10 million donation to the CERF is especially significant, as it allows the United Nations to allocate the funds based on need to other parts of the world that are often overlooked."

I hope that other potential donors will follow suit, as humanitarian needs will only grow in 2009, considering the combined threats posed by intensified conflicts, climate change, the global food crisis and the global economic slowdown," Mr. Holmes said.

So far in 2009 CERF has provided $8 million for food and safe water to people in Gaza, $10 million to boost aid efforts including water and nutrition programmes in Somalia, and $4 million for emergency programmes in Niger that have received inadequate support from donors.

Since its establishment, more than 100 member states and private sector donors have contributed some $1.5 billion to the CERF, which was envisaged as being "by all, for all" and has disbursed over $1.2 billion to help millions of survivors of natural disasters and conflict in 70 countries.
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