United Nations allocates US$ 8.7 million for Sudan floods

(Khartoum/New York/Geneva: 20 August 2007): Amid continued devastation caused by floods in the Sudan, John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), has approved a grant of US$ 8.7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to support the ongoing humanitarian response.

"Thanks to these funds, we will be able to assist over one and a half million current and potential flood victims, until or beyond the end of the rainy season," Mr. Holmes said. The ERC visited the country in April and has repeatedly called for the international community to generously respond to the recurrent humanitarian needs in the country.

The grant will be used for relief operations in the most affected areas. These currently include the states of Gedaref, Kassala, Khartoum, Northern Kordofan, Unity, and Upper Nile. The funding has been allocated to 11 different projects to be managed by five United Nations agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Of the total amount, $ 4.5 million will provide medical drugs, health care, and support to epidemic surveillance in order to avert or contain deadly waterborne epidemics. Thanks to an additional $ 2 million, over one million people will receive clean water or water purification products. A further $ 1.5 million will be used to supply non-food items and emergency shelter to families who lost their homes or essential household goods. Finally, $ 700,000 will provide food aid to those most in need and will support livelihoods through programmes aimed at ensuring the survival of livestock and the replacement of lost crops.

This grant brings the total allocated to the Sudan flood response to US$ 13.5 million. The United Nations had already allocated an amount of US$ 4.8 million for the emergency, from its locallymanaged pooled fund known as the "Common Humanitarian Fund" (CHF).

Torrential rains have devastated several parts of the Sudan since 4 July 2007. Well over 30,000 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, leaving at least 150,000 people without shelter. The United Nations and partners have so far supplied aid to at least 500,000 people. Humanitarian organizations will now be able, together with Government counterparts, to continue responding to the emergency until at least mid-September, when the heavy rains are expected to gradually subside.

Approved by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2005 as a successor to the Central Emergency Revolving Fund, the CERF aims to save lives by providing a more predictable and timely response to humanitarian emergencies. Since January 2007, 61 United Nations members, as well as NGOs and individual donors, have committed $ 346 million to the CERF. All United Nations agencies as well as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) can access CERF funds within 72 hours of a crisis. This enables them to save lives, especially during the earliest stages of a disaster, by immediately focusing on quick life-saving assistance.

For further information, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Khartoum
Email: giuliano@un.org Tel: +249-9-12174454

Nahla Zarroug, Information Analyst, United Nations, Khartoum
Email: zarroug@un.org Tel: +249-9-12160065

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: +41-22-9172653