UNICEF short of funds

UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, has received just 24 percent of the funds needed to implement urgent projects for women and children in Burundi in 2002, requested as part of the UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal.

Among the programme areas most affected were HIV/AIDS projects, assistance to mine victims and related education programmes, projects assisting internally displaced women and children, and support for the demobilisation of child soldiers, UNICEF reported on 29 May.

HIV/AIDS constituted the worst threat to children and women in Burundi, the UN agency said. Programme areas in this sector that had been worst affected were counselling and voluntary testing, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, and the youth-focused fight against AIDS. A "lack of funds to establish the full voluntary counselling and testing system weakens the credibility of public communications on this subject," said UNICEF.

Within the framework of the Consolidated Appeal, no contributions had been received for child soldiers, said UNICEF, but due to direct funding from the Belgian government advocacy work had been "quite successful". The situation had, however, reached a "crucial stage" in that activities critical to demobilisation, such as training the Forces Armees Burundaises in child rights and the establishment of rehabilitation facilities or transit centres, would be held up by a lack of funds, the agency reported.

Similarly, no contributions had been received for mine action, which UNICEF and the World Health Organisation had been mandated to provide. Considering the current level of fighting in Burundi, UNICEF stated, funding of this sector - for advocacy work, mine awareness activities, assistance to victims, and the collection of mine data - was urgently required.

UNICEF appealed for just over US $14 million as part of the 2002 appeal, but has received about $3.4 million to date.