Emergency workshop agrees on flash appeal

ACCRA, - An emergency regional contingency planning meeting held in Accra, Ghana, agreed on Friday to work on a flash appeal for resources to facilitate the response by humanitarian bodies to the needs of people displaced by instability in Cote d'Ivoire. The interagency appeal is to be launched on 19 November.

The resources would be used to assist various vulnerable groups for an initial three-month period. These groups include internally displaced persons; Ivorian refugees and refugees from other countries displaced from Cote d'Ivoire.

They also include West African nationals evacuated from Cote d'Ivoire to their home countries. Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana were identified as priority transit or destination countries. The meeting agreed that other neighbouring countries would be included when funding became available.

Thousands of people have been displaced in Cote d'Ivoire since 19 September, when insurgents tried to topple the government of President Laurent Gbagbo. The coup attempt failed but the rebels have been occupying much of central and northern Cote d'Ivoire. A ceasefire agreement was concluded on Thursday.

The flash appeal is to be launched alongside this year's global UN Consolidated Appeal (CAP). CAPs, which are issued towards the end of each year, reflect the strategies and funding requirements of the UN and its partners to respond to humanitarian crises.

The funds to be requested in the flash appeal would go to areas such as food, security, protection, water and sanitation and health as well as coordination, information management, logistics, communication and security in these countries.

The meeting, held on 17-18 October, was organised by OCHA and hosted by UNDP-Ghana. Other participants included UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, FAO, the International Federation of the Red Cross, the International Organisation on Migration, GTZ, the International Rescue Committee, OXFAM, Save the Children's Fund, the EU, Catholic Relief Services, the Ghanaian Red Cross and diplomatic representations.