Sudan: UN Emergency Relief Coordinator on mission to Juba

(Juba: 21 March 2007): United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes is scheduled to visit Juba this Friday, as part of a two-week mission to Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Mr. Holmes arrives this evening in Khartoum.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator will travel to Juba on Friday for a one-day visit. He is due to meet with senior Government officials of Southern Sudan, and with the United Nations team based in Juba.

Following his departure from Juba, Mr. Holmes is expected to travel to various locations in the Darfur region of Sudan, to eastern Chad, and finally to the Central African Republic. Along his route, the official will meet members of the local communities, as well as refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), affected by humanitarian needs. He is also due to meet senior officials of the host governments, as well as representatives of donor governments, the United Nations and other international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society.

Upon his return to New York, the Emergency Relief Coordinator is expected to brief the Security Council on his mission.

For further information, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Juba, Sudan

Email: giuliano@un.org Telephone: +249-91-2179084