Cambodia: United Nations seeks US $ 10.7 million to assist flood victims

(Geneva, New York, 2 October 2000) - In response to the worst flood that Cambodia experienced in the last 30 years, the United Nations today appealed for $ 10.7 million to help 850,000 victims during the first six months of an urgent relief and rehabilitation programme.
The floods have claimed 180 human lives and have affected over 2.2 million people, or 20% of the country's population. Close to 200,000 people have been displaced. The floods have also caused extensive damage to agriculture, in particular rice crops, Cambodian people's main source of livelihood and the staple of the country's economy. The Cambodian Government has exhausted most of its relief resources, in particular food stocks, and requested urgent international assistance.

The United Nations Inter-Agency Appeal intends to assist those who suffered most from the consequences of the floods, focusing on relief and initial rehabilitation in sectors such as: food, agriculture, shelters, health, water, sanitation and education.

Coordination and management are also taken into account by this Inter-Agency Appeal which has been prepared by the UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) in-country, under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, with support from the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team led by the OCHA Regional Disaster Response Advisor for Asia. Participating agencies are: WFP, UNICEF, FAO, WHO, UNDP and OCHA.

As an immediate response to the Appeal, OCHA has decided to allocate a total amount of US $ 525,000, drawn up from the grants of $ 50,000 from Norway and $ 30,000 from Denmark, as well as $ 445,000 from OCHA's resources. These funds will be used for emergency assistance for food, shelter and other priority needs through relevant UN agencies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and other leading NGOs are lending parallel support to Cambodian disaster victims.

For further information, please contact: Donato Kiniger-Passigli, OCHA, Geneva (tel.: 917 2653), Phyllis Lee or Rosa Malango, OCHA New York (tel.: 963 4832/2380). Please also view OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int