Top UN official to visit Aceh

JAKARTA: Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Hafiz Pasha is scheduled to visit the tsunami-stricken province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam on Feb. 25.

Pasha, who is director of the regional bureau of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), also plans to visit other countries affected by the Dec. 26 tsunami in the next two weeks, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand.

Pasha said in a press release on Friday that UNDP would make efforts to help in the transition from emergency to reconstruction and rehabilitation in Aceh.

He added that the seven-week period after the catastrophe would be a good time to start making a "to do" list for the next development plan in the province. --Antara