Top UN officials warn lawlessness in Iraq hindering relief efforts

Top United Nations officials went before the Security Council today to deplore the breakdown of law and order in Iraq, which they said was severely undercutting the world body's ability to bring humanitarian aid to a needy civilian population.

"A major humanitarian crisis has been averted so far," Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette told the Council at the outset of an open briefing. "But the civilian population - and children in particular - remain at risk, particularly if the security situation does not improve substantially in the near future."

She noted that UN agencies were at work throughout the country, providing food, water, medicine and other emergency assistance, helping repair water and sanitation facilities, assisting in the restoration of electricity, and providing relief to internally displaced persons and malnourished children.

"I would like to pay special tribute to the courage and commitment of our 3,400 national staff, who continued to deliver essential supplies to hospitals, displaced populations and other vulnerable groups throughout the period of conflict," she added.

The Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Mark Malloch Brown, also expressed deep concern about the difficult security environment in the country, especially in Baghdad, which he said continued to severely hinder humanitarian assessments and deliveries.

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), James T. Morris, also emphasized the precarious security situation, although he said he was confident serious hunger among the Iraqi people could be avoided. Today, there was no food crisis in Iraq. That being said, however, humanitarian agencies still faced a number of difficulties. "First and foremost is the security and safety for staff, warehouses, silos, mills and offices," he declared.

He said the WFP had so far had delivered over 200,000 tons of food and was gearing up for the largest humanitarian operation it had ever attempted. "Our objective is to ensure 480,000 metric tons of food a month are available to feed all 27 million Iraqis through the existing public food distribution system for five months," he said. The WFP planned to begin full food distribution to the entire population on 1 June.

For his part, a senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that in much of the country, the precarious security situation and power vacuum hampered efforts to re-start public services, including electricity, water, sanitation, medical and health. "The absolute lack of cash to meet the running costs of services to enable critical personnel to receive remuneration, is undermining the capacity of all institutions to offer essential services," said David Nabbaro, Executive Director of Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments and Senior Policy Advisor to the WHO Director-General.

For Nils Kastberg, Director of the Office of Emergency Programmes for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the highest priority also was the need for law and order throughout Iraq. The ability of UN staff to reach the neediest children was still being impeded by a culture of lawlessness and fear, he said. A second priority involved getting all children back in school as soon as possible. The third priority was basic health for children and women, he added.

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