UN launches $386 million appeal to combat humanitarian crisis in Angola

The United Nations today said it hopes to raise $386 million to address the humanitarian crisis in Angola, where the average life expectancy at birth is 45 years, nearly two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line and more than 2 million people depend on aid to survive.

The Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Angola also aims to help the peace process in Angola by "stabilizing people who are in acute distress and supporting the return of displaced populations in accordance with the Government's legal code," Ibrahim Gambari, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Angola, said at the launch ceremony in the capital, Luanda.

Mr. Gambari also expressed the hope that the UN appeal would be the last one for the country, adding that in the years ahead, "the international community will work hard to help the Government bring an end to the humanitarian crisis and lay the groundwork for future development."

"Now that peace is virtually irreversible in Angola, the international community will continue to provide multi-dimensional support for the consolidation of peace in Angola," the UN envoy said.