The heads of main UN aid agencies on Thursday said that poor funding and a lack of safe access for aid workers threatened the core of humanitarian work worldwide, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) reported. In a joint statement, four top-ranking UN humanitarian officials urged wealthy governments to be more generous and consistent in helping the victims of conflicts and natural disasters. Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP); and Ruud Lubbers, High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) made the statement in Geneva where they are attending ECOSOC’s annual meeting. Bellamy reiterated the need for strengthened donor support, but also underlined the need for access to the civilian population, hardest hit in times of conflict. “Humanitarian access and security for staff are often determining factors in reaching and supporting vulnerable groups caught up in conflict,” she said. “In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for example, women and children on both sides of the conflict depend on our support which, in turn, is dependant upon the good will of local authorities.” She added however that the DRC was also an example of how all parties could work together to facilitate access, citing the current anti-polio immunisation campaign.
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