UN Announces USD $4 Million in Flood Assistance at Meeting with Prime Minister to Celebrate UN Day

Kelly Dunst on 10 27, 2011

The United Nations announced at a meeting with the Prime Minister today that it will provide USD $4 million in flood relief and rehabilitation efforts.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cambodia, Douglas Broderick, explained that the USD $4 million would be used to provide food assistance; shelter; water, sanitation and hygiene; agriculture; and education support to affected communities.

The UN’s Humanitarian Fund, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated the funds as part of its rapid response window for lifesaving humanitarian activities. This is the first time Cambodia has received CERF funds.

Mr Broderick said the UN flood package would be delivered to priority sectors, benefitting hundreds of thousands of Cambodians.
• The World Food Program would distribute an essential two month supply of food valued at $2.5 million to 29,000 displaced and vulnerable households, benefitting about 145,000 people including 15,950 children.
• The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) would distribute $342,000 in essential shelter materials and offer livelihood generation activities to about 25,000 people
• UNICEF would spend $611,000 to respond to the immediate safe water needs of displaced and vulnerable households and assist the rehabilitation of water sites upon villagers’ return, benefitting about 100,000 people including 40,000 children.
• The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) would provide vegetable seeds and tools worth about $219,000 to selected farming families, benefitting about 25,000 people, and
• UNICEF would spend $316,000 to rehabilitate150 of the most-affected primary schools and provide school and play supplies to most-affected selected schools, benefiting about 445,000 students.

“The UN is very pleased to be able to provide the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia with additional, needed support during this year’s flooding season,” Mr Broderick said.

The Prime Minister appreciated the United Nations assistance and said the government was focused on the immediate needs of displaced people and ensuring livelihood generation during the longer-term rehabilitation phase of flood efforts.

The meeting, which took place at the Peace Palace earlier today, marked the 66th birthday of the UN and provided the opportunity for discussion on common development priorities and emerging issues.

“I would like to reaffirm that the UN Country Team in Cambodia remains a dedicated partner of the Royal Government, particularly at this time while flooding is affecting 1.5 million Cambodia people,” Mr Broderick assured the Prime Minister.

“The United Nations brings around USD$100 million of development assistance to Cambodia each year but our support stretches beyond the dollar value of this contribution. We have a long-standing history of promoting peace and human development in Cambodia and we are extremely proud to serve the Cambodian people.

The Prime Minister appreciated the UN’s ongoing collaboration and partnership with the Royal Government, efforts he said that have contributed to the significant progress toward meeting Cambodia’s Millennium Development Goals.

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Background notes:

The Central Emergency Response Fund was established by the United Nations General Assembly five years ago this month, to make funding for humanitarian emergencies faster and more equitable. Since then, more than 120 Member States and dozens of private sector donors have pledged some $2.3 billion to the Fund, which is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the first five years of operation, CERF has allocated more than $2 billion for humanitarian agencies operating in some 80 countries.