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Mission assesses refugees' impact on the environment

    ABIDJAN
    A mission sent by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to Guinea to assess the impact of refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia on the environment ended on Monday, according to a UNEP news release. The Guinea Environment Mission (GEM) spent two weeks in Guinea examining the problems of deforestation, erosion and unsustainable land use and, particularly in urban areas, water and sanitation issues. The mission came about after discussions earlier this year between UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and government officials during which concern was expressed about the influx of refugees, now numbering some 450,000, in the forest areas close to Guinea's borders, UNEP said. Preliminary findings from the GEM will be sent to Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP, who in turn will make recommendations to Annan on action needed to protect the environment.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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