The FINANCIAL — Due to the Georgian-Russian conflict, over 100,000 people have been displaced. The refugees have been fleeing North to the Russian Federation and South to Tbilisi over the few last days of the conflict. The international community has started a humanitarian mission to support refugees in Georgia. Aid is coming from all over the world, including from: the USA, Turkey, Norway, Australia, the UK, the UN, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
On Tuesday Norway allocated NOK 30 million (USD 5,528,625) for humanitarian assistance to the victims of the war in Georgia. The funds will be used to support the Red Cross field hospital in the area of Gori, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s activities in the region and UNHCR’s efforts to assist refugees in North Ossetia, among other things.
Australia will provide USD 1 million to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to people adversely affected following the conflict in Georgia. To help address immediate humanitarian needs, Australia has committed USD 500,000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide urgently needed relief to the displaced including shelter, blankets and water. A further USD 500,000 has been allocated to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the immediate provision of medical supplies to hospitals and the deployment of field hospitals for critical surgery in Gori and South Ossetia.
The United Nations agencies began providing relief supplies to 10,000 people across the country that were displaced by the conflict. UNHCR provided tents, jerry cans, blankets and kitchen sets to those in need, whilst WFP supplied food to more than 3,300 displaced children, women and men. UNICEF provided hygiene kits to 4,000 families.
The UK Government is giving GBP 500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appeal for Georgia.
The ICRC is likely to issue a further, bigger appeal in the coming days. The United Nations may also issue an appeal. We will consider further humanitarian funding in the light of those appeals and the assessment of the needs of people on the ground.
International aid agency Oxfam International will begin distributing medical supplies to hospitals and blankets and other essential items to those displaced by the recent fighting in Georgia. The initial USD 100,000 aid effort is expected to be increased depending on the results of a rapid assessment which is underway.
The crisis is not limited to Georgia. Some 23,500 people have fled to North Ossetia in Russia. Oxfam has offered its assistance to the Russian Emergency Ministry that is responding to the needs of these displaced people.
The Embassy of Greece confirmed their contribution of EUR 80,000 to support emergency food assistance programme to IDPs.
Access for humanitarian aid workers to the Georgian conflict zone has not improved despite a truce between Moscow and Tbilisi, the European Commission said Thursday.
“The cessation of hostilities announced by Moscow has not yet reflected particularly into any improvement in terms of access for humanitarian aid workers,” commission spokesman John Clancy told reporters in Brussels.
The United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations do not have access to the conflict zones, particularly South Ossetia. The humanitarian aid sent from different countries and organizations wasn’t fully provided to the refugees in Gori. Access to Gori, as of yesterday, was impossible for the United Nations agencies because of the unstable security situation and lawlessness there.
Written by Levan Lomtadze
Discussion about this post