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UN recommends resuming humanitarian aid in Umm Qasr
United Nations, Apr 04: A United Nations mission has recommended that humanitarian workers be allowed to start operations in Umm Qasr after it carried out a security assessment of the southern Iraqi port earlier this week.
United Nations, Apr 04: A United Nations mission has
recommended that humanitarian workers be allowed to start
operations in Umm Qasr after it carried out a security
assessment of the southern Iraqi port earlier this week.
Secretary General Kofi had withdrawn all humanitarian
workers from Iraq ahead of the military action but limited aid
was being provided with the help local staff.
Deputy Secretary General Lousie Frechette told the Security Council yesterday that about 3000 UN national staff is doing its best to provide assistance to Iraqis. The members of the council later expressed concern over the difficulty in reaching relief to needy people in a country where 60 per cent of the population depends entirely on food aid.
Frechette told the council that while there isn't a critical situation at present, there still remains the danger of so. In a closed-door briefing to the council, she said there had been firm indications or pledges of some 1.2 billion dollars in response to the 2.2 bn dollar emergency appeal launched last week by the UN, the world body's spokesman said.
Frechette noted there were water and electricity shortages in cities, including Basra where shortages were upto 50 per cent, and Baghdad, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
She also told the council that water and sanitation supplies, including water treatment and hygiene items, are needed. Disruption of potable water supplies increased the likelihood of epidemics, and medicine was required to treat them. Hospitals were starting to run out of certain supplies.
Bureau Report
Deputy Secretary General Lousie Frechette told the Security Council yesterday that about 3000 UN national staff is doing its best to provide assistance to Iraqis. The members of the council later expressed concern over the difficulty in reaching relief to needy people in a country where 60 per cent of the population depends entirely on food aid.
Frechette told the council that while there isn't a critical situation at present, there still remains the danger of so. In a closed-door briefing to the council, she said there had been firm indications or pledges of some 1.2 billion dollars in response to the 2.2 bn dollar emergency appeal launched last week by the UN, the world body's spokesman said.
Frechette noted there were water and electricity shortages in cities, including Basra where shortages were upto 50 per cent, and Baghdad, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
She also told the council that water and sanitation supplies, including water treatment and hygiene items, are needed. Disruption of potable water supplies increased the likelihood of epidemics, and medicine was required to treat them. Hospitals were starting to run out of certain supplies.
Bureau Report