Aid agencies appeal for US $60 m to assist a million people

The western Cote d'Ivoire town of Guiglo, which lies in area that was battlefield last year, on Wednesday hosted the United Nations and its partners as they launched an international appeal for US $60 million to assist over one million war-affected people. The UN, local and international non-governmental organisations and other partner agencies said the one million people affected by the war in Cote d’Ivoire and those who fled to Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mali, were still in need of vital, basic needs such as clean water, food, sanitation, and personal protection. The "Cote d’Ivoire 2004 Plus Three" appeal covers activities for 2004. In contrast to an appeal made earlier this year which covered Cote d’Ivoire and all its five neighbours, the 2004 appeal covers only northern neighbours, namely Burkina Faso, eastern Ghana and Mali. The UN appeal, known as the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal, is an annual event in which humanitarian agencies request funds from private citizens and governments to assist needy populations. Besida Tonwe, head of the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Cote d'Ivoire, presented the appeal at Wednesday's ceremony in Guiglo. The town lies in the western Ivorian belt where rebels clashed with government forces last year. The health sector, which includes HIV/AIDS, sought the largest amount of funds for its numerous projects amounting to US $14.8 million - nearly 25 percent of the total amount that the agencies appealed for. Human rights and protection experts appealed for US $9.4 million to carry out their projects. The appeal also contains projects in nutrition, education, water and sanitation. Women and children are the primary targets of most projects. The UN Resident Representative in Cote d'Ivoire, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Ivorian Minister for Solidarity and Social Affairs, Clotilde Ohouchi, officials of the Prime Minister’s office and senior members of the UN country team participated in the ceremony. Since the beginning of the Ivorian crisis in September 2002, the humanitarian community has launched two inter-agency appeals for funding. Funding levels for both were disappointing, receiving only 43 percent of requirements, thus leaving hundreds of thousands of people with insufficient assistance.