ReliefWeb

07 Dec 2004

Jordan + 4 others
Commission provides €7m in humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable Palestinians

Report

IP/04/1448
Brussels, 7 December 2004 - The European Commission has allocated a further €7 million in humanitarian aid for people made vulnerable by the Middle East crisis. The aid will provide access to food, clean water and sanitation for the poorest Palestinians living on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. There is also a major funding component to help rehabilitate the shelters of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The aid will be channelled through

06 Dec 2004

Algeria + 17 others
FAO Desert Locust Bulletin No. 314 - 06 Dec 2004

Report

Download PDF (1005.59 KB)

General Situation during November 2004

Forecast until mid-January 2005

01 Dec 2004

Egypt + 15 others
Current locust invasion in Africa, southern Europe, and western Asia (Dec 2004)

Map

01 Dec 2004

occupied Palestinian territory + 4 others
Décision d'octroi d'une aide humanitaire en faveur de la population affectée par la situation en Cisjordanie et dans la bande de Gaza, ainsi que des réfugiés palestiniens résidant en Jordanie, au Liban et en Syrie

Report

Lieu de l'opération : Cisjordanie, bande de Gaza, Jordanie, Liban et Syrie
Montant de la décision : 7 millions d'euros
Numéro de référence de la décision : ECHO/-ME/BUD/2004/02000

Exposé des motifs

1 - Justification, besoins et population cible

1.1. - Justification

La présente décision de financement doit être considérée comme complémentaire des décisions précédemment adoptées par la Commission européenne et, en particulier, de la décision adoptée en mai 2004(1), dans la mesure où: a) elle vise les besoins humanitaires,

01 Dec 2004

occupied Palestinian territory + 4 others
Humanitarian aid decision in favor of the population affected by the situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as of Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria

Report

Location of operation: West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria
Amount of Decision: Euro 7 million
Decision reference number: ECHO/-ME/BUD/2004/02000

Explanatory Memorandum

1 - Rationale, needs and target population.

1.1. - Rationale

The present funding decision must be regarded as being complementary to previous decisions adopted by the European Commission, in particular the one of May 2004(1), insofar as it: a) addresses humanitarian needs, like shelter rehabilitation, that were not covered under that funding decision; b) addresses humanitarian needs of Palestine

03 Nov 2004

Algeria + 13 others
FAO Desert Locust Bulletin No. 313 - 03 Nov 2004

Report

Download PDF (1005.59 KB)

General Situation during October 2004

Forecast until mid-December 2004

The Desert Locust situation remained extremely serious during October. There has been a significant redistribution of populations from West to Northwest Africa. As vegetation dried out, numerous swarms left the summer breeding areas in the Sahel, West Africa and invaded Morocco and Algeria. Some swarms arrived in the Cape Verde Islands. A few swarms also reached the Mediterranean coast near the Libyan and Egyptian border and crossed the sea to Crete, and probably to Cyprus

13 Oct 2004

Algeria + 22 others
Locust breeding areas and migration patterns

Map

04 Oct 2004

Angola + 18 others
Opening Statement by Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the Fifty-fifth Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme

Report

— UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to welcome you all to the fifty-fifth session of the Executive Committee, in particular new members Zambia and Egypt.

Our outgoing Chairman, Ambassador Boulgaris of Switzerland, has been an outspoken advocate on behalf of refugees. Even before becoming Chairman he played an instrumental role in UNHCR's Agenda for 2004 and the years to come. We will go further with Convention Plus, but without Ambassador Boulgaris. We wish him well on his retirement.

— Forced Migration Review, University of Oxford

04 Sep 2004

Lebanon + 1 other
Lebanon: Civilians pay the price

Report

(from "Forced Migration Review" Issue 26)
by Thomas C Archer

As this issue of FMR goes to print, thousands of IDPs and refugees are heading home following the announcement of the UN-brokered ceasefire which came into force on 14 August.

Some 1,110 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 156 Israelis, including 116 soldiers, have been killed in the conflict that flared up after Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers on 12 July. Approximately 900,000 Lebanese - out of a total population of less than four million - have been internally displaced. IDPs have

02 Sep 2004

Lebanon
UN SC declares support for free, fair presidential election in Lebanon; calls for withdrawal of foreign forces there, resolution 1559 (2004) adopted

Report

— UN Security Council

by Vote of 9 in Favour, to None Against, with 6 Abstentions
SC/8181

Security Council
5028th Meeting (Night)

The Security Council this evening declared its support for a free and fair presidential election in Lebanon conducted according to Lebanese constitutional rules devised without foreign interference or influence and, in that connection, called upon all remaining foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon.

By a vote of 9 in favour (Angola, Benin, Chile, France, Germany, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, United States)

02 Sep 2004

Lebanon
Liban : Résolution 1559 (2004) - Adoptée par le Conseil de sécurité à sa 5028e séance, le 2 septembre 2004

Report

— UN Security Council

Le Conseil de sécurité,

Rappelant toutes ses résolutions antérieures sur le Liban, en particulier les résolutions 425 (1978) et 426 (1978) du 19 mars 1978, 520 (1982) du 17 septembre 1982 et 1553 (2004) du 29 juillet 2004, ainsi que les déclarations de son président sur la situation au Liban, en particulier celle du 18 juin 2000 (S/PRST/2000/21),

Réaffirmant qu'il appuie vigoureusement l'intégrité territoriale, la souveraineté et l'indépendance politique du Liban à l'intérieur de ses frontières internationalement reconnues,

Notant que le Liban est déterminé à assurer

31 Aug 2004

Egypt + 9 others
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

Map

— UN Cartographic Section

Download PDF (176.57 KB)

15 Aug 2004

Iran (Islamic Republic of) + 3 others
Iraq: Situation Report - Week in Review, 09 - 15 Aug 2004

Report

— UN Assistance Mission for Iraq

OVERVIEW

In Iraq the newly installed United Nations (UN) Special Representative for the Secretary-General (SRSG) Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi said this week, "The current strife and instability, in Najaf and other places, cannot be addressed through security measures alone. They require political consensus building, rehabilitation measures, and the promotion of the rule of law." Although efforts to mediate the crisis in Najaf stalled, Mr. Qazi reiterated the UN offer to assist. SRSG Qazi urged all parties to respect, and protect, the rights of civilians.

18 Jun 2004

Iran (Islamic Republic of) + 4 others
Iraq: Despite security concerns, refugees still returning ahead of handover

Report

— UN High Commissioner for Refugees

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Kris Janowski - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at the press briefing, on 18 June 2004, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Despite security concerns, refugees continue to return to Iraq ahead of the 30 June handover of power to the Iraqi Interim Government.

UNHCR is not encouraging Iraqis to return, but it is facilitating convoys in cooperation with the Iraqi authorities for those who wish to go home. This month, more than 350 Iraqi refugees returned in two separate convoys from Khuzestan and Fars provinces in Iran

13 May 2004

Iraq + 4 others
Commission allocates EUR 28 million for humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations in the Middle East

Report

IP/04/641
Brussels, 13 May 2004 - As continued violence and tension threaten to aggravate further the humanitarian situation in the Middle East, the European Commission has allocated €28 million to support more than one million of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis. Activities will include the provision of food, water, sanitation services, emergency healthcare, psychosocial support, job opportunities, and protection for ambulances and monitoring of the humanitarian situation. Beneficiaries

— UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

13 May 2004

Israel + 4 others
EC and ECHO donate €67.3 million to UNRWA

Report

Press Release No. HQ/G/10/2004
Gaza - The European Commission and its Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) announced today a series of donations to assist Palestine refugees valued at a total of €67.3 million.

This funding will be used by UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, to alleviate some of the hardships suffered by refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, and to operate its regular humanitarian programmes across the Middle East.

The bulk of the funding, €60,637,500, will be used by UNRWA across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and

13 May 2004

occupied Palestinian territory + 4 others
Aide humanitaire aux victimes de la crise en cours dans les territoires palestiniens, aux populations palestiniennes résidant au Liban et aux réfugiés d'Irak.

Report

Lieu de l'opération: Moyen-Orient
Montant de la décision: 28 millions d'euros
Numéro de référence de la décision: ECHO/ME/BUD/2004/01000

Exposé des motifs

1 - Justification, besoins et population cible:

1.1. - Justification

Territoires palestiniens (Cisjordanie et bande de Gaza)

Depuis le début de la deuxième Intifada en septembre 2000, les territoires palestiniens occupés sont en proie à une détérioration des conditions de vie, à l'insécurité et à un sentiment de désespoir à l'égard de l'avenir.

Le processus de paix au Moyen-Orient

13 May 2004

occupied Palestinian territory + 4 others
Humanitarian aid for the victims of the ongoing crisis in the Palestinian Territories, Palestinian populations in Lebanon, and refugees from Iraq.

Report

Location of operation: Middle East
Amount of decision: 28.000.000 euro
Decision reference number: ECHO/-ME/BUD/2004/01000

Explanatory Memorandum

1 - Rationale, needs and target population:

1.1. - Rationale

Palestinian Territories (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip)

Since the beginning of the second Intifada in September 2000, deteriorating living conditions, insecurity, and a sense of hopelessness about the future have prevailed in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).

With the Middle East Peace Process in