UN launches $4 billion 'flash appeal' for Iraq

3.00pm

NEW YORK - United Nations relief agencies launched their largest appeal ever on Friday, asking governments to donate $4 billion for Iraqi civilians caught in the war, especially expected refugees if Saddam Hussein's government falls.

The "flash appeal," is intended to cover immediate needs over six months as soon as supplies can go into Iraq again. Among the agencies, the Rome-based World Food Programme has asked for the largest amount of $2.4 billion that it believes will be needed over the next six months.

"As you know, the war has been raging for more than a week," said Louise Frechette, the deputy UN secretary-general, who launched the appeal. "Much of the Iraqi population is already in urgent need, and more undoubtedly will be in the days and weeks ahead."

She said the appeal included provisions for people expected to flee their homes once the government falls, both inside and outside Iraq, as well as get basic supplies to Iraq faster than the oil-for-food programme could do.

But confusion abounded as the UN Security Council, in the middle of her news conference attended by agencies heads, adopted a resolution freeing more than the appeal in the oil-for-food programme to aid Iraqi civilians.

However, Benon Sevan, the undersecretary-general in charge of the oil-for-food programme said that the United Nations had less room to manoeuvre in re-arranging contracts, all of them set up before the war.

"The fact that we now have a war situation is creating new and different requirements that were not anticipated when all these contracts were made," he said.

He said he could not get in touch with many of the suppliers to see where they should ship the goods.

The World Food Programme, however, said it would scale back its appeal depending on how much foodstuffs were available under the oil-for-food programme, which has earmarked some $4.4 billion for food and health needs. Initially, WFP's six-month operation aims to feed a potential total of 2.1 million refugees and displaced people, the agency said.

The United States announced today that it would donate US$60 million ($108.9 to WFP, US$10 million ($18.2 million) to the World Health Organisation "to strengthen the overall health system in Iraq'' and US$8 million ($14.5 million) to the UN Children's Fund (Unicef), to provide basic health, water supply and sanitation services.

The Bush administration has already contributed more than $US100 million for preparations for humanitarian work in Iraq.

The Australian government has committed A$100 million ($110.5 million) to humanitarian relief for Iraq. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced an A$83 million commitment to the United Nations Flash Appeal today, adding to the A$17.5 million already provided to other UN agencies, the Red Cross and Australian non-government aid agencies.

Unicef, the UN Children's Fund, appealed for $301 million for special feeding for malnourished children and pregnant women, as well as potable water that was not in the oil-for-food programme.

Among the biggest donors in response to past appeals have been the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada and Australia, UN officials said.

But UN diplomats cautioned some donor nations might be less generous than they had been in the past, bitter that the United States and Britain launched their invasion of Iraq without UN Security Council authorisation.

UN officials said the money was urgently required as the average Iraqi family will have exhausted its current food ration in four to six weeks.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq