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Friday, 23 July 2004
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Annan Calls for Resources to Redress the Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the international community to make resources available for humanitarian work in the troubled western Darfur region of Sudan. He made the call following a meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Collin Powell in New York on Thursday. Mr. Annan said the United Nations and non-governmental organizations are increasing their presence and it is not only food that is need:

"We need non-food items, we need to work on sanitation, we need logistical support, we need helicopters, we need planes, and we are appealing to governments to give us the necessary tools to do our work."

The Security Council is currently working on a draft resolution on the crisis in Darfur.

UNHCR Regrets Death of Sudanese Refugees in Chad

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, says it regrets the death of two refugees on Thursday during operations by Chadian authorities to quell unrest at the Farchana refugee camps. Last week, Sudanese refugees protested against efforts to improve conditions in the camp and attacked humanitarian workers. A similar incident occurred in another camp where the refugees attacked two relief workers with knives, leaving one of them seriously injured. UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis says the reasons behind the attacks are still unclear:

"But there are reports of fears by some refugee leaders that efforts to improve camp living conditions suggested that the international community was unwilling to help them return to Darfur quickly and was foreseeing an extended period of exile."

Ms. Pagonis says since the outbursts, the Chadian government has made four attempts to talk with the refugees but was repeatedly rebuffed.

WFP Warns of Potential Food Crisis in Bangladesh

The World Food Programme, WFP, has warned of a potential serious humanitarian crisis caused by floods in Bangladesh. The food agency is concerned about the current food shortages in Bangladesh and their implications for the future. WFP is concerned that the next high tide in the Bay of Bengal at the beginning of next month would limit the outflow of flood water to the sea. The agency's spokesman, Simon Pluess says unexpected flash floods in April destroyed substantial parts of rice crop:

"And the next floods in mid-July wiped out people's household food stocks and basically removed all other sources of nutrition and income."

The World Food Programme is preparing to distribute some 3,000 tonnes of rice in the north and central Bangladesh.

International Organization for Migration Addresses Growing Trafficking Problem in Bolivia

The Office of the International Organization for Migration in La Paz is working with two Latin American regional organizations to counter trafficking in Bolivia. The agency recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Inter-American Commission of Women and the Organization of American States to start activities to stop trafficking in the country. IOM spokesperson Niurka Pineiro:

"It's believed that especially in the border areas with Brazil Argentina, Chile and Peru, there are many minors from Bolivia who are being forced into prostitution in these areas."

IOM is planning to host three workshops with local authorities and civil society to deal with trafficking.

UNEP Launches Project to Restore Wetlands in Iraq

The UN Environment Programme has announced an $11 million project to restore the environment in the marshlands of Iraq and provide clean water. The project, funded by the government of Japan will support the installation of drinking water and sanitation systems in key communities and restore wetlands for the benefit of people and wild life. The Marshlands of Mesopotamia, home to a 5,000 year old civilization, are the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East and west Eurasia. They were massively damaged in the late 20th century partly as a result of new dams on the Tigris and Euphrates river systems and partly as a result of massive drainage operations by the previous Iraqi regime.