UN Volunteers to step up relief efforts on behalf of displaced Afghans

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme today announced plans to intensify relief efforts for Afghanistan by setting up a force of experts ready to be deployed on short notice.

With 19 UN Volunteers already in Pakistan to help agencies assisting Afghan refugees, UNV said today that 24 additional experts were on standby for deployment in Afghanistan or neighbouring countries. These experts include water and sanitation engineers, site planners and public health specialists.

Thanks to a financial contribution by the German Government of DM 800,000, UNV will set up a Rapid Deployment Facility for Afghanistan to support the most urgent humanitarian relief and recovery efforts. The initiative aims to mobilize international experts as well as Afghan nationals to serve as UN Volunteers. The Bonn-based agency said it has a “solid roster of qualified experts at its disposal who stand ready to assist in initial humanitarian measures as well as longer-term reconstruction and development initiatives.”