Funding gap could ground UN air service for aid workers in Africa
ROME, 31 July 2009: The United Nations air service, shuttling aid workers to remote locations to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable people in Africa, is in danger of being shut down due to a funding shortage, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) which operates the flights.
Flights to Chad, where 4.000 humanitarian workers fly monthly to help 250.000 refugees from the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur as well as 180.000 internally displaced persons (hjemstavnsfordrevne), could be grounded as early as 15 August.
The Chad flights need an infusion of 6,7 million US dollar to stay in the air until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the service to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea could grind to a halt by 30 August, if it does not receive the required 3,3 million dollar to remain in operation until the end of 2009.
With WPF flying thousands of relief workers to assist the needy, many of whom have been driven from their homes by conflict, “how will they reach people if they have no planes?” asked Pierre Carrasse, the agencys Aviation Branch Chief.
– How will WFP reach the hungry? How will doctors reach their patients? he added.
This February, the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) was forced to shut down its operations in Ivory Coast due to lack of funds.
In the same month, Niger also saw flights come to an end, but they could resume next month thanks to an injection of funds from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
With a 2009 budget of 160 million dollar, the vital air service operates in Chad, Sudan, Somalia, DR Congo, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic (CAR), West Africa and Afghanistan.
To date, UNHAS has received less than 40 million dollar in contributions and expects to receive an additional 50 million from organizations whose personnel utilize the service.
Kilde: FNs nyhedstjeneste
