EMBARGOED TO THE MEDIA UNTIL TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2003, 1100 HRS NEW YORK TIME

Angola

CONSOLIDATED APPEAL

SUMMARY

Return, improvement

More than 3.8 million war-affected Angolans resettled or returned to their areas of origin during 2003.

Some 70 per cent of returnees resettled without any aid from local authorities or humanitarian organizations in areas where conditions fell well below standards outlined in the government’s Norms for the Resettlement of Displaced Populations.

Nonetheless, the humanitarian situation improved during 2003. At the height of the emergency in 2002, more than two million Angolans were on the brink of death and at least three million were receiving direct humanitarian assistance. Now, conditions have stabilized in areas where humanitarian agencies have uninterrupted access.

But hundreds of thousands of Angolans are only temporarily resettled; 500,000 of them in IDP camps and temporary resettlement areas and some 400,000 with host families in towns and cities. Another 350,000 people are still refugees in neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, resident communities have faced growing levels of vulnerability, especially in areas difficult to access. Lacking basic social services and severely affected by the war themselves, they struggled to cope with the size and speed of returns.

Unless support mechanisms are established in time, entire rural communities could quickly fall back into extreme vulnerability and dependence.

Since the signing of the Luena Memorandum of Understanding in 2002, Angolans are back on the long and difficult path to reconciliation, lasting peace, and development.

While much has been achieved to put an end to the life threatening situation of millions of Angolans, much more needs to be done to consolidate gains.

Reintegration and recovery efforts will pave the way for Angola's social, political and economic regeneration.

Relief and recovery

United Nations agencies and NGOs, in close consultation with the Government, will provide emergency assistance during 2004 to more than one million vulnerable people, supporting their efforts to achieve self-sufficiency.

At the same time, humanitarian partners will work to increase the delivery of social services aimed at providing dignified living conditions for more than 2.5 million people and strengthening their communities.

The plan will serve to bridge the gap between emergency and recovery, based on rights enshrined in the Millennium Declaration and in the Angolan Constitution.

The coexistence of critical needs and recovery opportunities, typical of a transition phase, has been widely verified through assessment and planning conducted by partners during 2003.

The preparation of this Appeal involved 11 UN Agencies and 32 national and international NGOs presenting 112 projects.

Request

The UN country team and partners are seeking a total of US$ 262,587,702 to fund their activities in Angola in 2004.

Funding Requirements in 2004
(US$)