UN / BRAGG - CAR

Commenting on her recent trip to the Central African Republic (CAR), Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg says she was "quite struck" by the lack of international pressure on the government to provide both humanitarian relief and protection to the displaced.

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:37
• Production Date: 10 August 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
• MAMS Id: U090810a

Description

STORY: UN / BRAGG-CAR
TRT: 2.37
SOURCE: UNTV / UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 10 AUGUST 2009, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

RECENT 2009, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations

10 AUGUST 2009, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press conference
3. Med shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“The humanitarian situation is quite a unique phenomenon; its nothing like any other humanitarian situation I’ve seen in other countries. Most of the affected population has fled the villages into the bush, and sometimes just a few kilometers from the villages in order to protect themselves from the armed elements. This is a very traumatized population and some of them have been displaced repeatedly in the past years.”
5. Cutaway, journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“While security and peace are critical to addressing the challenges of the country humanitarian response continues to be required and I cannot stress that enough, and unfortunately there may be increasing requirements because of the continued flare ups of violence and the lack of recovery initiatives. Our major concern is the lack of funding for humanitarian work. Funding has decreased significantly in 2009 compared to previous years. The current requirement of the appeal is 97 million dollars and it was revised down from a 116 million, not because of reducing need but because of the lack of funding to date and some of the agencies had simply decided to tic the projects off the list.”
7. Cutaway, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“The international community should also be encouraged to support the efforts of the government to develop a legal framework to assist IDPS. I was actually quite struck by the lack of international pressure on the government in terms of its responsibility to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to displaced population.”

FILE – UNHCR – 29, 30 APRIL 2009, AMBOKO REFUGEE CAMP, SOUTHERN CHAD

9. Various shots, Amboko camp
10. Various shots, displaced woman collecting water from a stream and watering vegetable patch
11. Various shots, children going to school and in classroom

Storyline

The United Nations (U.N.) Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator said that the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) was a “unique phenomenon”, and that it was nothing like any other humanitarian situation she had seen in other countries.

Briefing journalists today at headquarters following her recent trip to the C.A.R., Catherine Bragg said that to protect themselves from rebel and government forces, most of the affected population had fled their villages into the bush adding they were very traumatized - some having been displaced repeatedly in the past years.

Bragg said that the humanitarian response had decreased and that there may now be increasing requirements because of the continued flare ups of violence and the lack of recovery initiatives.

She said that the major concern was the lack of funding for humanitarian work, and that funding had decreased significantly in 2009 compared to previous years.

Bragg also emphasized that the international community should be encouraged to support the efforts of the C.A.R. government to develop a legal framework to assist internally displaced people. She said she was,
“quite struck” by the lack of international pressure on the government in terms of its responsibility to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to the displaced.

While visiting the country last month, Bragg had reported that up to one million people had been affected by the clashes between rebel factions and government forces and thousands of displaced were living in "deplorable conditions," having fled to remote areas where aid workers had little access.