27 September 2001
Text: UNHCR Prepares for Influx of Afghan Refugees into Neighboring Countries
(Seeks over $250 million in humanitarian assistance) (610)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers
says the agency needs $252 million to prepare for a large-scale influx
of Afghanistan refugees into Pakistan and other countries and to
supply aid to people inside Afghanistan.
The refugee agency said in a September 26 release that anticipation of
a possible punitive action against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has
led to considerable new displacement within the country, which had
nearly one million internally displaced people even before the current
developments.
The agency's contingency plan outlines a massive relief effort to
construct and maintain refugee camps and deliver more than 80,000
tents, hundreds of thousands of health and hygiene kits, and a huge
amount of other relief items.
Following is the text of the press release:
(begin text)
UNHCR on Afghan/emergency humanitarian aid needed
Wednesday, 26 September 2001
UNHCR SEEKS $252 MILLION FOR LOOMING AFGHAN CRISIS
GENEVA - The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) today said it needed US $252
million to respond to a large-scale humanitarian emergency in and
around Afghanistan.
In a funding appeal presented to donors today (Wednesday), UNHCR said
it was preparing for an influx of up to 1 million refugees into
Pakistan; 400,000 into Iran; 50,000 into Tajikistan; and 50,000 into
Turkmenistan. It said it was also making additional contingency
planning to supply aid to 500,000 people inside Afghanistan, if the
necessity arises.
"These figures are based on the worst-case scenario, but then we
simply must be prepared for the worst," said High Commissioner Ruud
Lubbers.
UNHCR said it could deploy up to 700 international and local staff to
deal with the looming crisis, in addition to more than 500 staff
already working in countries neighbouring Afghanistan. Most would be
deployed in Pakistan and Iran, while some would be sent to the Central
Asian republics of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The refugee agency says so far a relatively small number of people
have tried to leave Afghanistan, mostly for Pakistan. But it says the
anticipation of a possible punitive action against the Taliban has led
to considerable new displacement within Afghanistan, which had nearly
1 million internally displaced people even before the current
developments. UNHCR officials fear that any action in Afghanistan
could send large numbers of people fleeing toward neighbouring
countries.
"Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented global effort to combat
terrorism. We need a similarly unique effort to deal with possible
humanitarian consequences of whatever happens in Afghanistan. We count
on the donors' generosity," said Lubbers.
The contingency plan outlines a massive relief effort which involves
the construction and maintenance of refugee camps and the delivery of
more than 80,000 tents, hundreds of thousands of health and hygiene
kits, and a huge amount of other relief items. Much of it would have
to be airlifted to Pakistan and Iran. The amount sought is supposed to
cover the agency's needs over the next six months, and is part of a
larger UN consolidated appeal which is being compiled by the Office
for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The contingency plan is the largest UNHCR emergency deployment plan
since the 1999 Kosovo crisis, when hundreds of thousands of ethnic
Albanians were driven from their homes by Serbian forces in the wake
of NATO's air war against Yugoslavia.
UNHCR has already received pledges totalling US $6.5 million in
response to an early appeal for start-up funds to get the relief
operation off the ground.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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