CERF May Newsletter 2007

Pledges & contributions

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is pleased to acknowledge the receipt of nine new contributions totalling $138,956,623.78 as of 2 May. The contributions were made by Antigua and Barbuda ($5,000), Azerbaijan ($20,000), France ($1,263,800), Liechtenstein ($123,243.78), Netherlands ($53,300,000), Portugal ($268,540), South Africa ($240,000), Sri Lanka ($10,000) and the United Kingdom ($83,726,040). Furthermore, Pakistan pledged 20,000 for 2007. OCHA encourages all member states to turn their pledges into contributions as soon as possible.

Country highlights for rapid response

In April 2007, the Emergency Relief Coordinator ERC) approved some $19.3 million in gra nts from the CERF's window for rapid response. Details on each allocation can be found below, or on the CERF web site at http://cerf.un.org.

In Burkina Faso... A meningitis epidemic has erupted. The World Health Organization (WHO) registered over 15,000 cases and 1,100 deaths since January 2007, an unusually high rate compared to earlier years. Forty-one out of 55 health districts, with a total population of over 10 million people, are estimated to have been affected by the epidemic.

With the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality among the population at risk, the CERF grant of 1 million is enabling the UN Children's Fund UNICEF) to implement a mass vaccination campaign over a three month period. WHO will use its allocation of $800,000 for logistics services underpinning the implementation of the vaccination campaign.

In Iraq... The UN estimates that Iraq has over 1.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of whom were displaced before 2003.

With the CERF grant of $3.5 million, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its humanitarian partners are distributing food and non-food items to 15,000 vulnerable displaced and host families in the five governorates that have received the heaviest influx of IDPs since February 2006.

In Madagascar... Cyclones followed by heavy rains and floods left 7 people dead and 33,000 displaced. The natural disaster had a devastating impact on the upcoming harvest, affecting additional 260,000 people. The CERF allocated a total grant of $1 million to Madagascar.

UNICEF is providing water and hygiene-related nonfood items to more than 32,000 people and improving emergency sanitation facilities for 38 camp sites in the capital Antananarivo. WHO's emergency health response seeks to reduce mortality and morbidity by ensuring displaced persons access to preventive and curative health services including immunization.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with its partners, is implementing a minimum initial package for reproductive health services that seeks to minimize neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is supplying seeds for the most flood impacted populations and coordinating agricultural relief interventions in order to ensure as little disruption to agricultural livelihood activities as possible.

In Tanzania... Rift Valley Fever (RVF) has been reported in both animals and humans in 13 regions across the country. The onset of the rainy season is likely to increase the spread of the disease, which has already affected hundreds of people and killed 60.

With a CERF grant totalling $1.2 million, UNICEF, FAO, and WHO are supporting 10 million people at risk, particularly targeting vulnerable rural households and pastoralists to prevent the spread of the disease to non-affected areas. Assistance covers disease supervision activities (including the monitoring of a RVF surveillance network and risk mapping) and training in order to prevent livestock infection.

In Timor-Leste... A recent locust invasion affecting critical crops has exacerbated existing food shortages. Some 4,500 households are now facing food insecurity, while 80% of the maize harvest and 70% of rice seedlings for the next crop were destroyed. In addition, if the spread is not halted, locusts could affect the next maize-planting season in October 2007, and destroy key pasture areas, which could lead to the death of animals.

With a CERF grant of $626,000, FAO is providing technical and operational assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for locust control and monitoring operations. In addition, the agency is supplying pesticide, sprayers, equipment and training to control the further spread of the infestation.

In Uganda... The CERF grant of $7 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) is enabling the agency to avoid an untimely break in the food pipeline and to provide emergency feeding for 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Uganda, 183,000 refugees in North West and South West Uganda as well as 500,000 drought-affected persons in the Karamoja region for a period of two months.

Third wave of grants for underfunded emergencies

In February 2007, in the first of two annual rounds of allocations for underfunded emergencies, OCHA allocated almost $85 million from the CERF for lifesaving programmes in 15 countries. One third of all CERF grants is earmarked for use in such emergencies, in order to help redress imbalances in global aid distribution. Since its inception, the Fund has granted a total of $162 million for underfunded emergencies. The next round of these allocations will be announced in mid-2007.

In Angola... As Angola continues in its transition, some of the humanitarian sectors are poorly funded. CERF has allocated $4.5 million to address a number of underfunded humanitarian needs.

In Cazombo, the IOM is supplying shelter material and non-food items to some 8,000 flood-affected returnees. In Moxico, the main area of returnees and also one of the most isolated and conflict-affected regions, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is seeking to reduce deaths caused by diseases such as malaria, cholera, and diarrhoea. Two thirds of the residents in the urban and peri-urban areas of Luanda rely mostly on unsafe water sold from trucks. UNICEF is providing 39,500 families in the three worst affected municipalities of Luanda province with two months of clean water.

WFP is concentrating on the Planalto (central highlands), the most food-insecure and vulnerable region, by providing nutritional and other medical programmes from May to December 2007 to a monthly average of 29,000 beneficiaries. WHO is trying to minimize the risk of largescale cyclical cholera outbreaks by assisting 2.2 million vulnerable people living in high risk areas of 16 provinces with access to health care as well as safe water and sanitation.

In Bangladesh... Bangladesh is hosting 26,000 refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, who are accommodated in two camps, and entirely dependent on international assistance.

With a CERF grant of $1 million, UNHCR is replacing dilapidated refugee shelters. Prior to the cold season, the refugees will receive clothing, blankets and other essential non-food items. Since outpatient clinics are operating with an insufficient supply of medical equipment and drugs, with its partners UNHCR is providing de-worming, running vaccination campaigns for measles and furnishing vitamin A for children under 5 years of age. Supplementary and therapeutic feeding is being made available to pregnant and lactating women and children under 5 years of age. In addition, UNHCR is ensuring protection activities and monitoring in the camps.

In Burundi... Very low living standards and a continuous deterioration of social and economic conditions characterize the situation in Burundi. A drought in 2006 and heavy rains in 2007 as well as the spread of crop diseases exacerbated food shortages. In addition, after more than 13 years of political conflict and civil war, 100,000 IDPs and 350,000 refugees are expected to return. CERF allocated $8.5 million to the country to address its humanitarian needs.

FAO is providing emergency agricultural assistance to 340,000 people, including rehabilitating traditional production and trade mechanisms for seeds and highyield plants to the most vulnerable disaster-affected populations.

WFP is supplying food aid to an estimated 1.2 million vulnerable beneficiaries and is also helping foodinsecure households invest in rural livelihoods, nutrition and education. Through a multi-sector project, UNICEF is working to meet the needs of an increasing number of Burundians who are without any official status in Tanzania and risk expulsion.

In the Central African Republic... The CERF allocated $4.5 million to fund 17 projects in lifesaving sectors .

UNHCR is providing increased protection interventions for IDPs in the northern parts of the country. WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA are supplying a range of health interventions, including strengthening emergency obstetric and neonatal care in conflict-affected zones and specific interventions for children under five years of age. WFP is providing emergency food assistance to the most vulnerable populations and continued humanitarian air services to reach remote affected populations.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is working with its non-governmental (NGO) partners on food security as well as water and sanitation facilities in two sub-prefectures of the CAR, and setting up improved water access points in one other prefecture. It is also providing emergency health care for displaced and conflict-affected populations in Nana Gribizi, including efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo... In eastern DRC the situation remains volatile. Fighting between the armed forces of the DRC and militia groups has created significant population displacements (over 600,000 people abandoned their homes in 2006) and has been accompanied by widespread human rights violations. Malaria is a major public health problem, affecting the vast majority of the population. The CERF has allocated over $31 million to the country.

UNICEF's emergency project on malaria control is aimed at mitigating the impact of malaria among pregnant women and children under 5 years of age. The WHO/UNICEF immunization programmes are targeting 400,000 pregnant women and children under five years of age in areas of low immunization coverage. UNFPA is ensuring that sexual and gender-based violence emergency interventions encompass medical assistance, psychosocial and legal counseling and social/economic reintegration support to victims.

UNICEF and UNHCR have strengthened the coordination of assistance for internally displaced families and refugees returning to their areas of origin in Congolese provinces affected by conflict - estimated overall at 850,000 for 2007. UNICEF's non-food item and emergency shelter project targets 120,000 most vulnerable returning IDPs in the provinces of Katanga, South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri. The WFP food aid programme aims at improving access to food for the most vulnerable households of returning IDPs and refugees and highly vulnerable local communities in areas of population return.

In Côte d'Ivoire... The humanitarian situation has had devastating effects, particularly for some 700,000 displaced and other vulnerable groups in the volatile West and an increasingly impoverished North of the country. Côte d'Ivoire experiences serious challenges in the health sector, a lack of potable water, and poor sanitary conditions.

CERF grants totalling $4.5 million are ensuring the continuation of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. WFP is providing food assistance and humanitarian air services, while UNFPA is supporting reproductive health in the centre and east of the occupied zones. UNICEF is supplying emergency obstetric care for women as well as improved access to water for rural communities inadequately covered by humanitarian assistance. While IOM is helping about 1,000 IDPs voluntarily return to their homes, The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is providing coordination and support services.

In Eritrea... Following several years of poor rains and subsequent drought, over 2.3 million people living in the western and eastern lowlands, mainly nomadic pastoralists and agriculturalists, are experiencing a crisis situation. In addition, the border conflict with Ethiopia has left an estimated 21,700 people still living in IDP camps and an additional 10,000 displaced persons with family members. The CERF's underfunded allocation of $1.76 million to Eritrea covers health and nutrition, mine action, assistance to refugees, water and sanitation, and emergency education. UNICEF and WHO are installing 28 hand pumps so that 9,000 people from IDP settlements and surrounding areas have access to water. In addition, they are constructing 600 household latrines to be used by 3,000 individuals. UNICEF is covering the emergency education needs of an estimated 3,000 children who have recently returned to their villages of origin or are still in an IDP camp. It is also providing vitamin A to 460,000 children between 6 and 59 months. WHO is seeking to reduce mortality from health and nutritional hazards among Eritrea's lowland migrant population (in search of greener pastures in the highlands).

To reduce the malnutrition rate among the Somali refugees in Emkulu camp, UNHCR is provid ing a balanced diet and a minimum of 2,100 kilocalories per day. UNDP's mine action project aims to protect the IDPs against landmines and unexploded ordnance.

In Ethiopia... Disease outbreaks, such as acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), meningitis and malaria, remain extremely concerning, and acute malnutrition in food insecure areas and among refugees requires continued attention. With the CERF grant totalling $4 million, WHO and UNICEF are supporting the emergency response to the outbreak of AWD, including surveillance, treatment and medicine. UNHCR and WFP are providing protection and assistance, including emergency food relief, to Somali refugees in eastern Ethiopia as well as to Sudanese and Eritrean refugees.

In Haiti... The violence against (mostly street) children in Port-au-Prince has continued largely unabated during 2006, notwithstanding efforts of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to stem the violence. Given the existence of health problems and nutrition deficiencies, aid programs need to focus on fighting infectious and contagious diseases and reducing maternal-infant and child mortality. In accordance with the needs identified by the UN agencies in line with priorities established by both the Government and NGOs, CERF grants totalling $1.5 million were made for nutrition and protection projects.

WFP will provide free food in various slums within 48 hours after security has been reestablished in these areas. The programme targets 115,000 beneficiaries who will receive food-aid, including high-energy biscuits.

UNICEF is seeking to protect 2,000 extremely vulnerable children and to improve community child protection systems in the most violence-prone neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince. In addition, UNICEF is implementing an emergency project to significantly improve the nutritional status of 30,000 children under five years of age, 5,000 breastfeeding mothers and 5,000 pregnant women in vulnerable areas.

The CERF grant allows for IOM to provide assistance and support between May and August 2007 to 150 children who became victims of trafficking in volatile neighbourhoods. WHO is supplying potable water in Martissant for an estimated 100,000 people who have been deprived of basic essential services.

In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea... Vulnerable groups, such as young children and women, continue to be in need of humanitarian assistance in key areas, including food and health. CERF grants from the under-funded window - totalling almost $5 million - are covering projects in three sectors: food security, health and agriculture.

WFP is currently supplying food to 700,000 vulnerable people in 29 counties of DPRK, representing only 39% of targeted beneficiaries. The $2.3 million CERF allocation serves to procure two months worth of food for pregnant and lactating women and children under six years of age. Partners of the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme include the ministries of health and of food administration as well as UNICEF. The CERF grant of $1.7 million made available to UNICEF is ensuring, for six months, basic health services such as vaccination; essential medicines at health facilities; treament of severely malnourished children; and supplementation of nutrients for pregnant women.

The UNFPA will use the CERF allocation of $300,000 to improve its Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care services by supplementing essential reproductive health drugs and supplies. The CERF grant of $700,000 to FAO will cover the purchase of seed and fertilizers to be distributed to four cooperative farms in four provinces as a supplement to the limited stocks of both commodities, thus supporting summer crop production in 2007.

In Myanmar... An estimated 373,000 people are currently living with HIV, among whom 66,000 are in need of life-saving antiretroviral treatment. With a grant of $355,000, UNAIDS is supporting, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office, life-saving activities through the provision of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in south-eastern Myanmar, a region heavily affected by the AIDS epidemic.

In Namibia... While the majority of the 6,500 refugees who live in the Osire refugee camp are from Angola, a small number come from the Great Lakes region. To support the chronically underfunded operation, CERF has allocated $1 million to the camp. WFP will ensure that every refugee receives the daily minimum standard of 2,100 kilocalories per person, while UNHCR is providing basic medical services, shelter and non-food items as well as improved water and sanitation facilities.

In Somalia... Somalia has endured fifteen years of armed conflict and generalized violence, resulting in widespread human rights abuses, the destruction of public infrastructure and the disintegration of basic health and social services. In late 2006, heavy Deyr rains caused widespread flooding, yet at the same time led to an improvement in livelihood and food security. The $1 million CERF grant is being used to establish a common inter-agency security system. It will allow UN agencies and NGOs to sustain a permanent presence in Mogadishu and South-Central Somalia, thus ensuring the continuation of critical humanitarian assistance.

In Sudan... Despite the signature of the Peace Agreement in May 2006, violence and insecurity continue to prevail, with an estimated four million people in need of humanitarian assistance. With the CERF grant of $5.9 million, UNICEF is seeking to strengthen primary health care (including immunization), to improve water and sanitation facilities and to provide basic and HIV/AIDS education. The UN agency is also treating acute malnutrition through supplementary and therapeutic feeding programmes and ensuring access to health care services. WFP is supplying emergency food assistance, while WHO is promoting environmental health services to control water and sanitation-related diseases in North and South Darfur.

In Zimbabwe... The most acute humanitarian needs include those of the populations affected by food insecurity and cholera outbreaks, as well as mobile and vulnerable people affected by Operation Murambatsvina (OM). The country is also experiencing continuing economic decline and significant emigration. The CERF has allocated grants totalling $2 million to Zimbabwe to address its humanitarian needs. More than 15,000 households affected by OM are still in immediate need of shelter. With its CERF grant, the IOM, together with its partners, is addressing this shortcoming. Water and sanitation conditions in urban and rural settlements are also very poor, resulting in regular cholera outbreaks. UNICEF and its partners are providing emergency safe water, sanitation and hygiene education to targeted vulnerable populations in urban and peri-urban areas.

Contacts

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Rudolph Muller (programmes) (+1-917-367-4116 or mullerr@un.org); or Ms. Shoko Arakaki (contributions) (+1-917-367-3498 or arakaki@un.org).

Please visit our web site (http://cerf.un.org) for the latest information on the activities of the CERF and additional background information. Your comments and suggestions on how to enhance or improve the CERF web site and this newsletter are most welcome (cerf@un.org).