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Hello Jammu News at 11:33:00 AM 0


Qamishli, Apr 21: The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered 185 tonnes of life-saving medicines, anaesthetics, antibiotics, emergency medical kits and other treatments to over 30 health partners in northern Syria so far in 2018.
These deliveries are part of its ongoing efforts to meet the immediate and long-term health needs of hundreds of thousands of displaced and critically ill patients in northern Syria, a WHO European Region report on Saturday said.
The shipments included 1.4 million medical treatments for surgical and trauma cases, reproductive health conditions and infectious diseases, as well as essential medicines for noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In total, about US$ 1.8 million worth of supplies were delivered to 180 primary and secondary health-care facilities from January to April 2018.
“WHO shipments help mitigate critical shortages of medicines and supplies in overstretched health facilities that remain functioning in northern Syria,” said Dr Annette Heinzelmann, Emergency Coordinator at the WHO field office in Gaziantep, Turkey. “WHO will continue to support and equip nongovernmental organization partners to reach those most in need, especially the arriving displaced persons who live in precarious living conditions.”
Lack of health facilities and qualified health workers remains a serious concern in northern Syria. More than half of the country’s public hospitals and health-care centres have either closed or are only partially functioning. In some areas, such as Idleb, there is virtually no access to public hospitals or primary health-care centres.
In order to ensure access to services, WHO equipped 7 mobile clinics that have been deployed to provide primary health-care services, vaccination, nutritional screening and mental health support in areas with the greatest need, where health services are no longer available. 
Additionally, WHO supports the operations of 45 primary health-care facilities in Idleb Governorate, which serve a population of 7,00,000 people.
Funding for the medical supplies delivered by WHO to northern Syria is provided through generous donations from the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pooled funds, and the governments of Kuwait and Norway. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 12:45:00 PM 0


United Nations, Jan 22: With the crisis in war-ravaged Yemen continuing to deteriorate, United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners have launched a $2.96 billion response plan to reach over 13 million people with lifesaving assistance.
Launched Sunday, the 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is the largest consolidated humanitarian appeal for Yemen – where over two years of relentless conflict has left three quarters of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million in acute need who urgently require assistance to survive.
“Humanitarian assistance is not the solution to the plight of the people of Yemen, but it is the only lifeline for millions of them,” said Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, in a news releasing announcing the launch.
“Today, humanitarian partners appeal to the international community to support this critical lifeline.”
Worst affected in the midst of the worst man-made humanitarian of current times are the country's children.
According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly two million children are out of school, and 1.8 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished – including 400,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition and are 10 times more likely to die if they do not receive medical treatment.
The Humanitarian Response Plan targets people in acute need or at risk of slipping into acute need.
It also focuses on needs of internally displaced people, returnees and host communities in a more sustainable manner and on working with national institutions, added OCHA.
“A strategic priority for the 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is to work with national institutions that provide essential services to prevent their collapse,” said Mr McGoldrick.
“We thank donors for their support in 2017, and urge them to support the people of Yemen as they continue to face unprecedented needs,” he added. UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 4:12:00 PM 0


United Nations, Jan 19: Warning of a “dramatic deterioration” in the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the last 12 months, United Nations agencies and relief partners have launched the largest-ever funding appeal for the vast central African country.
According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the 2018 appeal – totalling $1.68-billion – aims to reach 10.5-million vulnerable people across the nation, where over 13-million are in need of assistance.
“The past year has been one of the most difficult for millions of civilians, with unrelenting cycle of violence, diseases, malnutrition and loss of livelihoods taking a toll on families,” said Kim Bolduc, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC, in capital Kinshasa, launching the appeal on Thursday.
“This appeal reflects the magnitude, severity and unpredictability of a crisis that has gone on for far too long. We are grappling with one of the world’s largest, most acute, and complex humanitarian crisis.”
According to OCHA, there are now some 4.3-million internally displaces persons (IDPs) across DRC – the highest number in Africa – and the country also grapples with the worst cholera outbreak in the past 15 years.
On the food and nutrition front, over 7.7-million suffer are food insecure, a 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Worse still is the fact that aid operations in the country suffer with severe underfunding and only half of the $812.5-million humanitarian response for 2017 was funded.
“Without the essential support of the humanitarian community, the survival of thousands of people is at risk, and hopes of early recovery will be dashed,” Ms Bolduc stressed.
“We must ensure sufficient funding so to match the magnitude of the crisis.” UNI
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Hello Jammu News at 11:46:00 AM 0

United Nations, Nov 17: Following a visit to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have settled in makeshift camps, a United Nations envoy has called for enhanced measures to protect and assist victims of sexual violence among the displaced population.
“My observations point to a pattern of widespread atrocities, including rape, gang-rape by multiple soldiers, forced public nudity and humiliation, and sexual slavery in military captivity directed against Rohingya women and girls,” UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten said on Thursday. The humanitarian crisis caused by escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state is causing catastrophic suffering. Over 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled across the border to Bangladesh since 25 August. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates Bangladesh now hosts more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees. Ms Pattan’s visit, mainly to Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, and to Cox’s Bazar, from 5 to 13 November, was to better understand the nature, patterns and trends of sexual violence related to the conflict in Myanmar and also to assess options for providing support to the Government of Bangladesh, the UN system and other partners to ensure that the rights of conflict-affected women and girls are respected and upheld in the settlements. “A clear picture is also emerging of the alleged perpetrators of these atrocities and their modus operandi. Sexual violence is allegedly being commanded, orchestrated and perpetrated by the Armed Forces of Myanmar, otherwise known as the Tatmadaw,” she said. Other actors allegedly involved include the Myanmar Border Guard Police and militias composed of Rakhine state Buddhists and other ethnic groups, she added. The release said that her Office has agreed with the Government of Bangladesh to develop a framework of cooperation, focusing particularly on the documentation, training, capacity-building, and strengthening of sexual and gender-based violence services and programmes. Bangladesh is also in the process of developing a national action plan on women, peace and security, which is an important entry-point for action to address conflict-related sexual violence and other human rights violations against Rohingya women and girls.
However, national institutions and communities in the settlement areas are stretched to the limits of their capacity, to provide the basics of shelter, food, water and primary health care.
In terms of sexual and gender-based violence programmes, there is an acute funding shortfall of more than $10 million for the next three months to deliver essential services, including clinical case management, community outreach, awareness-raising and the distribution of dignity kits, which contain clothing and sanitary items.  "The international community must come together to support the Government of Bangladesh to address this vast humanitarian and protection crisis,” she urged. All of the women she spoke with wanted the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and to ensure that these atrocities would never repeat, she said. “Such words must serve as our moral compass as we chart the way towards a durable solution that respects the human rights and human dignity of a community that has been called ‘the most persecuted people on earth,’” she said. UNI
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