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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
LIBERIA: UN appeals for $137 m for war ravaged Liberia
MONROVIA, 20 November 2003 (IRIN) - The United Nations in Liberia asked donors on Thursday to provide US $137 million in 2004 to support efforts by humanitarian agencies to reverse the impact of a 14-year civil war that has ravaged the West African country.
Launching the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal (CAP) appeal in the capital, Monrovia, the acting head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Liberia, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said over 1.7 million people were in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in Liberia.
"What we have in Liberia is a country that suffered greatly not just for the last few months, but over 14 years of war. Nearly one million Liberians are displaced - which is about a third of the population," Eziakonwa said.
"In addition, we had the chance in the last two months to visit some places outside Monrovia and the level of destruction is quite deep. In some communities, there is no standing structure," she added.
The CAP appeal is aimed to provide relief for the displaced population, Ivorian refugees and Sierra Leonean refugees in the country, as well as Liberian returnees from neighbouring countries as well as third country nationals who fled instability in Cote d’Ivoire.
The appeals covers proposed projects in health, sanitation and agriculture. It provides for food and non-food items for the needy and protection and human rights programmes, especially targeting sexually and gender-based violence.
Agriculture for $1.6 million in the appeal while $30.6 million is earmarked for the health sector. Some of the money, if given, would be used to carry out immunization exercises and the rehabilitation of health centers.
For water and sanitation, the UN appealed for $9.3 million. Another $7 million was requested for support to education, while protection and human rights would require $11 million.
According to the UN statistics, there are 11,000 Sierra Leonean refugees, 38,000 Ivorian refugees, 150,000 Liberian returnees and 10,500 nationals from other West African countries in need of relief assistance.
"Over 1.7 million people are thought to be in need of humanitarian assistance. These include 500,000 displaced people, 38,000 combatants and dependants, some 15,000 children associated with the fighting forces," the appeal document said.
According to the UN, the humanitarian situation in Liberia was so desperate that "only 25 percent of the [2.7 million Liberians] have access to safe water and 36 percent have access to proper sanitation facilities. Only 28 percent of the population was immunized."
"In large parts of the country that were previously inaccessible, people faced a worsening humanitarian situation aggravated by widespread looting, destruction, damage and virtual collapse of social services," the appeal document said.
Eziakonwa said that the deployment of UN peacekeepers throughout Liberia and an effective disarmament and demobilisation of combatants would enhance delivery humanitarian assistance to population.
A UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia has so far deployed about 5,000 troops in and around Monrovia, but expects to deploy further afield when it reaches full strength early next year.
Theme(s): (IRIN) Other
[ENDS]
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