England’s soccer captain David Beckham, whose famed cross-shots have made him a byword for football to affluent European fans and undernourished children in African refugee camps alike, will be shooting for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to raise money for young victims of the devastating of Indian Ocean tsunami.

As ministers from more than 30 countries gathered in Geneva today to determine priorities for the nearly $1 billion United Nations flash appeal for the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, specialized UN agencies in the field are pinpointing areas for immediate action from mobilizing child trauma experts to delivering blankets.

As the death toll from the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami reached 160,000, the largest United Nations relief effort ever mounted for a natural disaster moved into overdrive today, zeroing in on hitherto inaccessible areas, opening a new coordination centre and stepping up efforts to protect vulnerable children from exploitation.

Nearly two weeks after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, the United Nations relief operation has not yet reached all areas and the number one priority remains getting assistance to people in need, above all in Indonesia which is "the heart of the crisis," a top emergency official said today.