UN appeals for $72.8m in humanitarian aid for RI
UN appeals for $72.8m in humanitarian aid for RI
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An appeal for humanitarian aid for Indonesia was launched on
Wednesday by United Nations agencies and international non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) in a bid to support the
country's efforts in addressing multiple humanitarian crises
caused by man-made and natural disasters.
Steven Allen, the acting United Nations Humanitarian
Coordinator in Indonesia, said that they appealed for US$72.8
million in aid next year from international donors to
finance 61 projects targeting those still suffering from the
economic crisis or internal conflicts.
Michael Elmquist, deputy to Humanitarian Coordinator and chief
at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
said that some $37 million of the fund would be utilized for food
and nutrition programs, $3.7 million for health programs and $3.5
million for education.
The projects will also address social conflicts and their
consequences such as displacement and peace-building efforts
which will need $16.4 million.
"Major challenges that the country are facing next year relate
to the nutritional shortfall because some 40 million people get
70 percent of the minimum requirements of good nutrition today,"
Elmquist said.
The country, he said, is facing chronic health problems and
increasing epidemic threats because of the low level of
immunization and the increase in diarrhea, malaria, tuberculosis,
and HIV cases.
"The programs will focus also on protecting civilians in
conflict areas, to create security conditions that allow the
displaced to return home," Elmquist said.
He added that the programs would focus on North Maluku and
Maluku provinces, East Nusa Tenggara, and Central Sulawesi in a
bid to tackle problems of displacement, destruction, refugees,
and continuing violence.
The programs will also address displacement to urban areas and
East Java from Central Kalimantan, and destruction and limited
humanitarian access in Aceh.
The appeal for Indonesia is part of the annual UN appeal for
humanitarian aid for 20 countries in need.
The appeal was also made in Australia on Wednesday, in which
the Australian government pledged to disburse some $5.6 million
for humanitarian projects in Indonesia.
Budi Atmadi Adiputro, deputy for IDPs and refugee affairs at
the National Coordinating Board for the Management of Disaster
and IDPs/Refugees (Bakornas PBP) said that the government had
disbursed some Rp 1.9 trillion last year to assist refugees and
predicted that the figure would be the same next year.
An estimated 1.4 million people have been driven from their
homes as a result of communal violence. OCHA predicted that up to
three million people were affected by conflict and 40 million
others belonged to vulnerable groups.
Elmquist said that to avoid leakages in the fund, all
donations would be reported to OCHA and listed in the website
www.relief.int so that the public could monitor the use of funds.