Malika Akrouf joins United Nations Country Team in C.A.R.

Arrival of new interim head of UNDP to boost development efforts

Bangui, Central African Republic, 31st January 2006 - The United Nations Country Team in C.A.R. has welcomed the arrival of Ms. Malika Akrouf, new Officer-in-Charge for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office. "Ms. Akrouf's arrival is bound to boost development efforts in the country," said Basile Tambashe, acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). "Under her leadership, UNDP will work in close coordination with Government, donors, and other actors in the development sectors, and very importantly with civil society. This will ensure that the international community's contribution to the country's development is more successful than ever, leading to clear, concrete and timely results. Indeed, she will play a key role in developing the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the period 2007-2011, which will be reflected in the UNDP Country Programme," he added.

The Algerian-born official, who was in the UN system for the last 30 years, has been working as United Nations Resident Coordinator, mainly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Africa. After retiring, Ms. Akrouf has been requested by the System to accomplish several missions, including the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Sierra Leone. By accepting yet another assignment, she feels that she can continue to make a significant contribution to the work of the Organization, and to the international community's efforts to fight poverty, to promote democratic governance including female empowerment, and to reverse the spread of HIV.

Despite the efforts of UN agencies in the country, the development and humanitarian situation in C.A.R. remains extremely dire. "Life expectancy is today around 39 years, and this has been falling at a rate of five months every year over the last decade or so", said Souleymane Beye, Humanitarian Affairs Officer for the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, adding that the country was in 2005 the world's seventh poorest as measured by UNDP's human development index. "Unless we receive more funding, a neglected humanitarian crisis threatens to turn into a real catastrophe. This would also render meaningless any efforts at long-term development: unless children receive primary education today, which presupposes their good nutrition and health, we cannot hope in human resource development tomorrow", noted Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer for the Coordinator. He specified that the 2005 Humanitarian Appeal for the country was the second least funded worldwide: "We thank international donors for their support. But we must stress that the plight of the local populations will worsen, and their funding will have been in vain, if the 2006 CAP [requesting over USD 46 million] is funded in the region of 30% as happened over the last three years".

For media enquiries please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer,
Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator,
Bangui
Email: giuliano@un.org
Tel: +236-031825

Stephanie Bunker, Spokesperson,
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
New York
Email: bunker@un.org
Tel: +1-917-3675126

Elizabeth Byrs, Spokesperson,
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
Geneva
Email: byrs@un.org
Tel: +41-22-9172653

For other information and donor enquiries please contact:

Aurelien Buffler, Desk Officer,
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
New York
Email: buffler@un.org
Tel: +1-917-3675089

Janet Puhalovic, Desk Officer,
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
Geneva
Email: puhalovic@un.org
Tel: +41-22-9173194

For UNDP-related information please contact:

Marlène Nzengou, Communications Officer,
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
Bangui
Email: marlene.nzengou@undp.org
Tel: +236-502323