ReliefWeb

WHO: Kyung-Wha Kang, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator

WHAT: Visit to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

WHEN: 3-8 May 2014

WHERE: Kabul and Hirat (Herat) (Afghanistan), Islamabad and Peshawar (Pakistan)

UN Deputy Humanitarian Chief Kyung-Wha Kang will visit Afghanistan and Pakistan from 3 to 8 May to assess the humanitarian needs and response in areas affected by crises, including insecurity, natural disasters and malnutrition.

During her visit to Afghanistan (3-5 May), Ms. Kang is expected to meet with displaced communities in Hirat (Herat). Four decades of conflict and recurrent natural disasters, including floods, have left millions of people in need of emergency assistance across Afghanistan. Some 2.2 million people are severely food insecure and more than 600,000 displaced people need long-term solutions.

From 6 to 8 May, ASG Kang will travel to Pakistan to assess ongoing humanitarian efforts and draw attention to the urgent needs of communities affected by disasters, including monsoons and drought, and malnutrition. She is expected to travel to Jalozai Camp in Peshawar to visit families displaced by insecurity. Humanitarian organizations are working with the Government and local authorities to provide life-saving aid but insecurity and a funding gap continues to hamper aid efforts.

Ms. Kang is also expected to meet with high-level Government officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as with representatives of UN agencies and humanitarian partners, to mobilize further support for relief efforts in both countries.

For further information, please call:
Aidan O’Leary, OCHA Afghanistan, oleary@un.org, +93 793 001 101
Murtaza Shibli, OCHA Pakistan, shibli@un.org, +92 346 856 3642
Devi Palanivelu, OCHA New York, palanivelu@un.org, +1 917 650 9782