IDP unit to assess regional situation

The United Nation's Internally Displaced Persons Unit (IDP Unit) will begin a 10-day mission on Tuesday to assess the situation of IDPs living in the Mano River countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The mission aims to "get a clear picture of the situation and look at the most critical problems in the field" in order "to provide specific support to the country-teams in a variety of forms", team member Carlos Maldonado told IRIN on Monday. Maldonado and colleague Denis Vidal, will seek among other things to determine the exact number of IDPs in the three countries and examine allegations of sexual misconduct by staff of the UN and partner organisations. The two-man mission will meet with government officials, UN organisations, and local and international non-governmental organisations to take stock of the situation and pitch for more support to IDPs. Maldonado told IRIN in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, that the ultimate objective of the IDP Unit was to improve the protection of the men, women and children who are displaced involuntarily. Protection encompasses education, agriculture, feeding, micro-economic projects and health. "At the end of the day, protection is everything", Maldonado said. The IDP Unit is an inter-agency body which began operating in January 2002. It has so far conducted assessment missions in Afghanistan and Uganda.