UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 18 August 2008 -- Over the weekend, the Secretary-General met with a number of people regarding the situation in Georgia including Irakli Alasania, Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN. He also spoke with the President of the Security Council and representatives of the UK, France, the US, Russia, and China.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has estimated the number of people who were driven from their homes by the clashes at 118,000. There has also been looting and damage to some buildings in Georgia during the course of the fighting.

However, the UN has had difficulty reaching many of those who are in need of assistance and the refugees are spread around the country making it hard for aid personnel to find them. Humanitarian organizations have continued to press to be allowed entry throughout the country so that they can help those impacted by the violence. In western Georgia , aid must be airlifted and it was not until Sunday, more than a week after the outbreak of violence, that the UN was able to get to the Georgian city of Gori.

On Saturday, Lola Castro, Country Director for the World Food Program in Georgia indicated that the WFP had heard that reports that the food supplies in Gori were low and conditions in that area were “desperate.” About 45,000 Georgians left Gori for Tbilisi, UNICEF says, leaving the city almost empty, and constituting most of the 68,000 Georgians driven from their homes. Despite an attack by armed me on two UNHCR trucks on Thursday, operation are continuing.

Around 30,000 South Ossetians, more than three-quarters women and children, apparently fled into North Ossetia, within the Russian Federation, while about 15,000 went elsewhere within Georgia. UNHCR will send two flights to Vladikavkaz over the next few days carrying mattresses, kitchen sets, water tanks, blankets, jerry cans and soap South Ossetians in North Ossetia.

In addition to international organizations, the Georgian government is also working to locate and help the displaced. Both governments have said that they do not require international health assistance at the moment, but the WHO has indicated to both its willingness to help and is keeping an eye on current conditions.

International organizations have been bringing in food for those displaced, particularly high energy biscuits that require no preparation, and are also offering them other necessities, such as kitchen sets and blankets, and helping them to find shelter. The living conditions in Tbilisi of those displaced are reportedly substandard and those who had to flee their homes have very little money and are dependent on outside aid.

To supplement the biscuits, World Vision International has contributed canned meat, buckwheat, pasta, and tea for the refugees. Around 34 metric tons of food given by the EU was flown in by the WFP on Wednesday, with further supplies arriving the next day and on Saturday. They have been given to approximately 18,000 in the capital and the surrounding area. The WFP is also giving provisions for making bread and soup to offer to those displaced.

In addition, the UN is involved in ensuring that those who have fled their homes have water for washing and drinking. The World Health Organization has placed particular emphasis on the need for safe water to prevent disease.

UNHCR revealed yesterday that, “[t]he needs are great, especially for the most vulnerable such as children, women and the sick” and told the international community, “There are newborn babies and women in advanced pregnancy among the displaced. Immediate needs include medications for people suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Sanitation and hygienic items as well beds and mattresses are in great demand.”

UNHCR head, António Guterres, is to arrive in Georgia some time this week to assess the situation.

Today the UN asked for $58.6 million for its operations in Georgia . The money is intended to fund nine UN agencies and sixteen partner organizations for six months and provide assistance for close to 130,000 victims of the recent fighting. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has announced that the UN has already received $23 million.

Catherine Bragg, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator expressed optimism that “the international community will show itself fully ready, capable and willing to help provide critically-needed assistance to the people of Georgia.”

She explained that, “while the most acute phase of the violence appears to have passed, until there a firm peace in the country we must be prepared to respond to a critical and fluctuating humanitarian situation.”

 - Caroline Patton

Labels: United Nations, U.N., MaximsNews

 

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