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AID AGENCIES LAUNCH $32.7 MILLION APPEAL TO PREPARE FOR HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN CÔTE D'IVOIRE

(New York/Dakar/Abidjan, 18 January 2011): West African humanitarian agencies today launched a US$ 32.7 million-emergency plan in order to be prepared for humanitarian needs that could arise due to Côte d'Ivoire's political crisis. Two millions Ivorians, including 100,000 refugees and 450,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), could be affected if a major humanitarian crisis develops.

The six-month Regional Emergency Humanitarian Appeal aims to allow United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations to secure funds that would be used to provide a timely and effective humanitarian aid in Côte d'Ivoire and in the neighbouring countries of Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana in vital sectors. The aid will include support for protection, health, water and sanitation, education, food and nutrition. The funds will also help assist those already affected by the ongoing crisis.

To date, more than 28,000 Ivorians have become refugees in neighboring countries, mainly Liberia. The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, estimates that some 600 Ivorians are crossing the border into Liberia each day. In western Côte d'Ivoire, some 18,000 people have fled to safer areas in and around the western cities of Danané, Duékoué and Man. The city of Duékoué is host to the largest internally displaced community, with over 14,000 IDPs.

Humanitarian organizations are already doing their utmost to ensure that aid reaches those in need, especially women, children and the elderly, as quickly as possible. In Liberia and in western Côte d'Ivoire, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations are distributing food and non-food items. Aid and staff are also being pre-positioned in neighboring countries. Over the past few weeks, contingency plans have been extensively revised, to ensure that the UN and its partners stand ready to respond in case a major humanitarian crisis unfolds.

The current crisis is already affecting lives and livelihoods of both the displaced and host communities. Displaced children are unable to attend school and families have lost their sources of income. Humanitarian aid workers also estimate that as many as 420,000 nationals of neighboring countries currently living in Côte d'Ivoire could return to their countries of origin and require assistance, notably in transit camps, should the situation further deteriorate.

"No amount of money is too much when lives are at stake. The cost of preventing Côte d'Ivoire from slipping into a humanitarian crisis and affecting its neighbours far outweighs the cost of responding when lives have been lost. While we call for a rapid resolution to the crisis, being well prepared is crucial in order to provide life-saving aid," said Humanitarian Coordinator in Côte d'Ivoire Ndolamb Ngokwey.

For further information, please call:

OCHA Dakar: Yvon Edoumou, +221 33 869 8515, mobile +221 77 569 9653, edoumou@un.org; OCHA-New York: Stephanie Bunker, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 347 244 2106, bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org, OCHA-Geneva: Elisabeth Byrs, +41 22 917 2653, mobile +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org, www.reliefweb.int, or http://ochaonline.un.org/rowca

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