Nov 17, 2006

National

The United Nations World Food Program has appealed to members of the Nepal Transport Union to allow the free passage of WFP convoys attempting to deliver food assistance to over 50,000 drought-affected people in Mid- and Far Western Nepal and over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees. The Nepal Transport Union has been disrupting the flow of transport trucks across Nepal for the past week.

“Over 50,000 hungry people in Humla, Jumla, and Dolpa are waiting for our helicopters to arrive so that they can receive desperately needed food rations,” reported WFP Representative, Richard Ragan , “ Both the refugees and the people of the Mid-West have suffered enough. We need those trucks through – and our helicopters full, so that we can continue to provide humanitarian assistance to hungry families.”

WFP is in its third phase of emergency operations to provide a two-month ration to over 225,000 drought-affected people in Mid- and Far- Western Nepal . Over 265 helicopter flights are planned out of Surkhet to deliver 730 metric tons of food to these remote communities. In the east, WFP provides food for all 7 of the Bhutanese refugee camps.

“WFP provides food assistance to the most vulnerable men, women and children. Without the ability to freely transport food aid across Nepal over one million people could go hungry,” reported Ragan.

With an annual budget of nearly USD $30 million dollars for Nepal, WFP will provide food assistance to nearly 1.78 million Nepalis, and over 106,000 Bhutanese refugees at the close of 2006, according to a press release by the WFP office in Nepal.

WFP’s humanitarian support targets the most vulnerable populations living in 31 food deficit districts across Nepal . In addition to food aid for the Bhutanese refugees and drought-affected families, WFP’s program provide: school feeding to students, nutritional support for pregnant and nursing mothers and their young children, and livelihood support to poor, food-insecure households, through food for work activities.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 56 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest countries.

UNICEF Underscores Children’s Interest In Peace Process

While welcoming the inclusion of children's issues in the draft peace accord, UNICEF urges all parties to the peace process in Nepal to abide by international instruments and to put the interest of children first during all stages of the peace accord, states a press released by the UNICEF office in Nepal .

"Many issues regarding children's protection have been included in the draft peace agreement. This is a positive indication that children's concerns are being addressed," said Dr. Suomi Sakai, UNICEF Representative today. "However, there are still many issues regarding the protection and welfare of children involved in armed conflict that still need to be included in the final agreement."

The armed conflict has taken a toll on children. They have been exposed to violence, whether directly or indirectly, and they have been deprived of their protective environment. They have been separated from their families, and their education has been disrupted.

"We are extremely concerned that children below 18, who have been associated with armed forces and armed groups in Nepal, have not yet been returned or reintegrated with their families and communities," said Dr. Sakai. "The removal of children from armed forces and armed groups is imperative from a legal, human rights and humanitarian perspective."

“The CPN-Maoists have agreed to disarm and be contained in cantonments, and the Nepali Army likewise have agreed to be confined in their barracks. At this stage, the peace agreement should specify special provisions for handing over children associated with armed forces and armed groups to child protection agencies. This should be initiated from the very early stages, when the children are brought into the cantonments and camps.”

UNICEF urges all parties to focus on the return and reintegration of all children associated with armed forces and armed groups.

"All children should be reached, whether they are boys or girls, irrespective of whether they were combatants or non-combatants and whether they were conscripted or had joined voluntarily," said Dr. Sakai. "Girls, unaccompanied and disabled children associated with armed forces and groups need special attention."

UNICEF encourages all the political parties and the government to develop appropriate mechanisms and programs for the children to be returned and reintegrated in their families and communities and proposes.