Chad: Italian government donates US$ 450,000 in medical supplies

(N'Djamena / New York / Geneva: 06 March 2008): The Government of the Italian Republic has donated medical equipment and supplies worth US$ 450,000 to help in the humanitarian response in Chad, in the aftermath of armed fighting which erupted in the Chadian capital N'Djamena during early February.

"This will enable humanitarian organizations, including ourselves, to respond to some urgent medical needs of people rendered highly vulnerable by recent fighting", said Andrea Burelli, country director of the Italian non-governmental organization (NGO) Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) in Chad.

The supplies, weighting a total of 20 metric tonnes (MT), arrived in Chad from the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) located in the Italian city of Brindisi, via two special flights on 26 and 28 February. They include two emergency medical kits, six obstetric kits, and four trauma treatment kits. Some non-food items (NFIs), such as water containers and kitchen sets, were also included in the two shipments.

The provisions were based on a request submitted by humanitarian organizations in Chad. The supplies will be channelled to local health establishments via COOPI and other NGOs.

"This gesture is part of our continued commitment to respond to the most life-saving humanitarian needs of vulnerable individuals in Chad", said Antonio Bellavia, Ambassador of Italy to the landlocked African nation.

The Government of the Italian Republic has donated a total of just over US$ 2 million for humanitarian activities in Chad during 2007, within the framework of the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for the country, led by the United Nations together with NGOs working in Chad.

For further information, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations, N'Djamena
Email: giuliano@un.org Tel: +235-6053892

Katy Thiam, Associate Information Officer, United Nations, Abéché
Email: thiamk@un.org Tel: +235-6201542

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

Elizabeth Byrs, Spokesperson, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Geneva
Email: byrs@un.org Tel: +41-22-917265