UN humanitarian priorities for second half 1999

The United Nations says that implementation of the second phase of an agricultural campaign, refugee repatriation, reactivation of key social services pending the start of rehabilitation programmes and national capacity building are the humanitarian priorities for the second half of 1999. These are contained in the UN mid-term review of its interagency appeal published last week by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In all, 597,000 people still need humanitarian help, according to the appeal review. These include Bissau residents, some of whom were displaced during fighting in the city, and war-affected populations in rural areas. About US $4.5 million is needed to implement the humanitarian assistance programme, less than that asked for at the beginning of 1999. This is because some bilaterally-funded projects, which were frozen during the period of conflict, have been reactivated mainly in the water and sanitation, health and education sectors. Food aid requirements have also been met by prior contributions. The main aim of the humanitarian community in 1999 - as stated in the Guinea Bissau Appeal issued in December 1998 - is "to facilitate the speedy return of war-affected populations to a normal situation". At the same time, the humanitarian community wants to help the new government of national unity "assume its responsibilities" to manage the humanitarian aid programme. The outbreak of hostilities between 31 January and 7 May slowed the return of displaced people to their areas of origin. However, progress was made in improving the government's capacity to manage the humanitarian aid effort, OCHA says.