|
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday named Catherine Bertini, former head of the World Food Program, as his Personal Humanitarian Envoy, according to a statement released at the UN headquarters in New York.
Annan said the new envoy would travel immediately to the Middle East to assess the nature and the scale of the humanitarian crisis there.
"Ms. Bertini will report to me, and through me to the Quartet, on what needs to be done to respond to the humanitarian situation and to prevent it from deteriorating further," the secretary-general said.
He noted that "all parties in the Middle East agree that the civilian population of the West Bank and Gaza is facing a severe and mounting humanitarian crisis."
According to the statement, the new envoy would consult with UN officials in the area, as well as those of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement and the donor and non-governmental community, to review assistance activities and to identify any other required measures.
"She is also expected to meet with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to discuss what needs to be done to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation," it said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2002)
|
