NAIROBI, March, 2000 -- In response
to the catastrophic flooding and at the request of the Mozambique government,
staff from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Centre
for Human Settlements (Habitat) have joined the UN Disaster Assessment
and Coordination (UNDAC) team working in the area.
Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of
UNEP and Acting Executive Director of UNCHS (Habitat), dispatched the staff-members
to Mozambique as a contribution to the on-going United Nations efforts
there which are being led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA). While the immediate priorities must be the health
and safety of the peoples affected by the floods, the joint UNEP/Habitat
mission is part of the UN's longer-term response to the disaster.
The joint UNEP/Habitat fact-finding mission will provide input into the UNDAC report on the damage assessment and rehabilitation of the areas affected by the flooding in Mozambique, with a particular focus on the impact of the floods on the environment and human settlements. It will also make recommendations on long-term mitigation and preparedness in the areas of the environment and human settlements.
The UNEP/Habitat mission will work under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator and work in close cooperation with the Government of Mozambique.