By KUNA,
Geneva : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Thursday that in order to meet needs identified in the eight pilot countries identified in a new study, it has included an additional USD 63.5 million in its 2009 budget, which is being presented to the annual meeting of UNHCR’s governing Executive Committee in Geneva meeting this week.
Deputy High Commissioner L. Craig Johnstone said that a comprehensive assessment of the needs of refugees and other people cared for by the UN refugee agency in eight pilot countries has revealed some substantial and disturbing gaps that must be addressed.
UNHCR report released Thursday and based on the pilot Global Needs Assessment, presents a sobering picture of gaps in several areas, including shelter, health, education, food security, sanitation and the prevention of sexual violence. Nearly a third of those unmet needs were basic and essential services.
The pilot assessment, set to be rolled-out worldwide in UNHCR operations for the 2010-2011 planning cycle, was carried out in Cameroon, Ecuador, Georgia, Rwanda, Thailand, Tanzania, Yemen and Zambia in early 2008.