UN / GING

Just back from the Central African Republic, OCHA director of operations John Ging said there was “extreme concern” about the breakdown of the country and that the humanitarian needs are “dire” - over half of the country is all ready in need of aid “but the number one issue today is protection, the atrocities are indescribable.” UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:54
• Production Date: 29 October 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF
• Geographic Subject: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
• MAMS Id: U131029f

Description

STORY: UN/GING
TRT: 2.54
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 29 OCTOBER 2013, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations headquarters
2. Wide shot, John Ging, OCHA Director of Operations
3. Cutaway, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The number one issue today is protection and the atrocities that are being committed against the civilian population are indescribable. They are instilling incredible fear among all communities. What we witnessed when we visited Bosangoa was that both communities, both the Muslim community and the Christian community were seeking shelter in the most appalling humanitarian conditions.”
5. Cutaway, presser
6. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Our message is this country needs to come in to the international spotlight, the scale of the humanitarian suffering is among the worst in the world and its getting worse.”
7. Cutaway, presser
8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Yet of course we cannot hide from the reality which is that currently it is still extremely difficult for ordinary people in terms of, number one: protection, safety and security; number two the basic humanitarian situation.”
9. Cutaway, presser
10. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Protection is a huge issue for women and children in particular. The appalling humanitarian situation is compounded and exacerbated by a lack of funding again of course there are many demands internationally on the international community but we they cannot walk away from the responsibility in this part of the world either.”
11. Cutaway, presser
12. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The World Food Program (WFP) in DRC are very concerned about a break in their pipeline unless new monies come urgently in a matter of weeks. Again, we can’t really contemplate that we will not be distributing food in the DRC and yet that will be the situation unless we get the mobilization of new funds.”
13. Cutaway, presser
14. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“We are seeing the seeds of a profoundly dangerous development between communities, as each community is being targeted by armed elements from the other community.”
15. Cutaway, presser
16. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The situation is fast moving and that’s, you know, the alarm bell that we want to ring very loudly that these attacks, the effect that they are having. What it mans in terms of the tensions between communities it all moves very, very quickly.”
17. Wide shot, presser
18. Med shot, John Ging leaving room

Storyline

OCHA’s Director of Operations, John Ging, said today that he was extremely concerned about the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), which he described as “a tinderbox.”

“Half the population of the Central African Republic is in need of humanitarian aid,” said Mr. Ging. “There has been a complete breakdown of law and order and the first priority is protection and the restoration of security and stability. The atrocities against civilians are indescribable.”

Mr. Ging recently returned from a three-day visit to the CAR with the Emergency Directors of several UN agencies and International NGOs. He said that during a visit to Bossangoa in the north of the country, they had witnessed both Muslim and Christian communities taking shelter in fear of attacks.

With no infrastructure and a healthcare system nearly entirely dependant on international organization’s aid Ging stressed that his message was that the CAR needed to come in to the international spotlight, adding that “the scale of the humanitarian suffering is among the worst in the world and its getting worse.”

The Emergency Directors also spent three days in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where Mr. Ging said there were signs that the unrelenting humanitarian crisis was at a crossroads.

But Mr. Ging said funding for the DRC remained a problem, with just 61 per cent of the $892 million requested for 2013 received so far.

While noting the World Food Program’s (WFP) concern regarding lack of funding for DRC Ging said, “again, we can’t really contemplate that we will not be distributing food in the DRC and yet that will be the situation unless we get the mobilization of new funds.”

Ging ended his briefing by ringing an alarm bell, “to ring very loudly that these attacks, the effect that they are having, what it means in terms of the tensions between communities it all moves very, very quickly.”