UN humanitarian chief to visit Sudan

May 17, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The head of the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is scheduled to make a three-day visit to Sudan later this month.

OCHA says she plans to meet with officials from the Sudanese government and representatives from humanitarian organisations, with discussions to focus on ways to improve humanitarian access to people affected by conflict and displacement, particularly in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur, where the security situation remains fragile.

The under-secretary-general is also expected to travel to Darfur to see for herself the ongoing humanitarian operation 10 years after the current conflict began.

Amos will hold a press conference on 23 May in Khartoum at the conclusion of her visit.

OCHA is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies, including the deployment of rapid-response teams, securing funds and the facilitation of civil-military coordination.

The humanitarian operation in Sudan is one of the largest in the world, targeting over 4.4 million Sudanese civilians in 2013.

As part of its mandate, OCHA is working with both the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

(ST)