Dear journalists,
On behalf of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator and the Humanitarian Information Group (HIG) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), please find attached and pasted below the English version of our latest press release, on the subject of the first day of the visit to the country by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ms. Valerie Amos. The document is sent in Word format for your convenience.
The French version will be published shortly on our inter-agency humanitarian website for the DRC (http://www.rdc-humanitaire.net), as well as on ReliefWeb (http://www.reliefweb.int), where you can always find all our public documents. Meanwhile, please also find attached the French version of our previous press release published yesterday, on the subject of the arrival of Ms. Amos to the country.
Please do not hesitate to contact Medard Lobota (lobota@un.org, +243-99-2906633) or myself (giuliano@un.org, +243-99-5901532) for further information on humanitarian needs and response in the DRC, or to request interviews with officials of the United Nations and its partners in the country. Should you wish to obtain photographs related to the topics that we cover, please click on http://www.rdc-humanitaire.net/gallery to access our inter-agency humanitarian photo library.
We would also be pleased to receive your requests to join our regular media trips, or for individual support in visiting locations in the DRC in order to cover humanitarian topics.
NB: In order to automatically subscribe/unsubscribe to/from this mailing list, please click http://unocha-info.org/mailman/listinfo/XXX_unocha-info.org (please replace XXX with the tag in the subject header, e.g. “drcmediain” or “drcmediaout”). No password is required, and this will only take a few clicks.
Yours,
Maurizio Giuliano
Responsable du plaidoyer et de l'information publique
Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires (BCAH/OCHA)
Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo (RDC)
Courriel: giuliano@un.org Skype: mauriziogiuliano1975
Tél. +243-99-5901532 (portable)
Quick link to all OCHA DRC public documents: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/srch.nsf/doc304SearchResults?OpenForm&query=&view=rwrwb&cc=cod&rc=1&srcid=%22OCHA%22&archived=not('1')&stc=UNO&pubdate=2009-10-01T00:00:00;2012-12-31T23:59:59&offset=0&hits=200&sortby=rwpubdate&sortdirection=descending&mode=simpleall.
UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF: “WE CAN SAVE LIVES IN DRC BUT CONFLICT MUST END”
(Kinshasa / New York / Geneva, 9 March 2011): On the first day of her visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, visited humanitarian projects in the North Kivu province, one of the worst affected by violence.
Ms. Amos expressed her concern about the lack of protection for civilians, and emphasised the continuing need for humanitarian assistance. “The daily reality for many people in this province is immensely difficult. Armed men regularly attack villages, looting, raping, maiming, killing, kidnapping, and burning the villages before leaving,” Ms. Amos said, “This forces entire communities to live in a perpetual flight mode, relying on humanitarian assistance for their survival.” Since 2009, over half a million internally displaced people have returned to areas as they become more stable, but an even greater number have since been newly displaced elsewhere.
Sexual violence, mostly committed by armed groups, remains a huge problem. Thousands of incidents are reported in North and South Kivu every year. “Sexual violence is only one symptom of a much deeper problem. Entire communities are being deprived of their right to a dignified life,” said Ms. Amos.
Humanitarian operations are heavily affected by insecurity. In 2010, 200 incidents affecting humanitarian workers were recorded in the two provinces, compared to 179 during 2009. Over 80 percent of these involved non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are crucial partners of the United Nations in providing humanitarian aid. Although operations often have to be suspended in different areas due to insecurity, humanitarian workers continue their efforts to reach the most vulnerable and are able to assist at least 70 percent of those in need.
“Humanitarian assistance can save lives and alleviate suffering, but the root causes of the crisis must be addressed”, said Ms. Amos, “Full support to disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, and efforts to end impunity for those committing these crimes must be stepped up”, said Ms. Amos, who also expressed appreciation for the swift judicial response to mass rapes committed by members of the DRC military last January.
The Kivu provinces are the scene of armed conflict between the national army and various foreign and domestic armed opposition groups, including the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and the primarily Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The provinces currently host approximately 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Over 80 percent of the displaced live with host families, which increases the burden on people who are already vulnerable and have limited resources. With the support of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the rest of the international community, the Government is leading efforts to stabilize the area through the Stabilization and Reconstruction Plan for Areas Emerging from Armed Conflict (STAREC).