UNAMA-Kabul, 30 October 2006

Efforts are continuing to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches communities affected by the recent conflict in southern Afghanistan. The UN, along with the Government and international donors, are assisting some 15,000 families displaced in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Helmand.

Distribution of food and non-food items resumed yesterday following the Eid holiday. So far, the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided food and other items to over 12,000 families in Panjwai and Zherai districts of Kandahar, as well as in Lashkar Gah in Helmand and Tirin Kot in Urzghan. In addition, agencies including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have provided essential non-food items, such as blankets, clothing, medical supplies and plastic sheets to some 7,000 families.

Assistance to the affected families is being coordinated by the Government’s Provincial Disaster Management Committees.

Assistance is also being provided in the form of a $5 million contribution from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to bolster development and humanitarian activities for the people displaced by the recent fighting in Kandahar, especially in Panjwaye and Zharay districts. The funds will be used by UNDP’s National Area-Based Development Programme (NABDP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), to provide humanitarian assistance, as well as implement projects for rehabilitation and recovery of livelihoods.