NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–15 June 2010 – A lack of funding has forced the United Nations food aid agency to suspend humanitarian flights to three West African countries from tomorrow, the agency reported today.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP), which manages the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), said flights to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia will be halted because it has been unable to raise the $2.5 million required to continue operating until the end of this year.
The West African coastal service of UNHAS had been serving about 500 humanitarian passengers per month – people working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN agencies, donor representatives and journalists – benefiting an estimated 250,000 people in some of the least accessible parts of the three countries, WFP spokesperson Emilia Casella told reporters in Geneva.
The flights were necessary for safety reasons and also helped relief agencies save time and resources.
In 2003, WFP was given the responsibility of providing safe, reliable and cost-efficient air transport for all UN agencies involved in relief operations. That responsibility led to the founding of UNHAS. Working on behalf of the humanitarian community, UNHAS operated 48,000 hours in 2008, transporting 361,000 passengers and 15,200 metric tons of cargo globally.
The WFP aviation unit does not directly own or operate the aircraft. Instead, it provides air services by chartering aircraft to meet the needs of emergency and humanitarian support for UN agencies and other cooperating partners. UNHAS operates in some 16 countries.
Source: un.org
