UN Emergency Relief Coordinator on mission to the Middle East

(Beirut, Jerusalem and New York: 22 July 2006): United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland has begun a six-day mission to the Middle East from 22 to 27 July 2006, which will take him to Lebanon and Israel, as well as the occupied Palestinian territory.
In Lebanon, Mr. Egeland is expected to meet with senior members of the Government and with the newly-established High Relief Council, as well as with the United Nations country team and other United Nations representatives, including the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). During his visit, he expects to survey sites that have been identified as part of the proposed humanitarian corridors for the international relief effort in Lebanon and other areas that have been affected by the conflict of the ten days.

On Monday, the ERC, together with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Lebanon, Mona Hammam, will launch the United Nations Flash Appeal for the Lebanon Response from Beirut, via videolink with United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event will be webcast and can be viewed at: www.un.org/webcast.

Mr. Egeland will then travel to Israel, where he is expected to meet with senior members of the Israeli Government and representatives of the Israeli Defence Forces, as well as with the United Nations country team. From Jerusalem, the ERC intends to undertake a visit to the Gaza Strip, where he will meet with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and other humanitarian actors.

During his mission, Mr. Egeland intends to be available to speak to the local, regional and international media on the current humanitarian situations in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. For a complete list of planned press encounters and/or to arrange an interview with the ERC, please contact:

Contact

Khaled Mansour, UN Spokesperson in Lebanon +9613 087 651 or +2 012 234 8671 khaled.mansour@wfp.org
Pascale El Kassis, UNIC-Lebanon +961 1 978 536 or +961 3 295 255 (mobile) elkassis@un.org
Allegra Pacheco, OCHA-oPt +972 2582 9962 or +972 545 627 848 (mobile) pacheco6@un.org
Juliette Touma, OCHA-oPt +972 2582 9962 or +972 548 155 546 (mobile) toumaj@un.org
Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York +1 917 367 5126, +1 917 892 1679 (mobile) bunker@un.org
Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York +1 917 367 9262 knutson@un.org