The United States to Contribute an Additional $7.5 Million for Humanitarian Response to the Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia
Washington, DC
June 15, 2011
The United States is announcing an additional pledge of $7.5 million in humanitarian assistance for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. With this latest funding, the U.S. is providing over $51 million in humanitarian assistance to refugees, IDPs, and other conflict-affected populations in the region. The Côte d’Ivoire political crisis turned violent after the run-off presidential election between victor Ouattara and incumbent Gbagbo in late November 2010 and uprooted hundreds of thousands of Ivoirians. More than 210,000 refugees fled from Côte d’Ivoire – most to Liberia; up to a million were displaced inside Côte d’Ivoire; and thousands of nationals of neighboring countries fled as well. The situation in Côte d’Ivoire is improving; but some continuing unrest is still generating new refugees, and fear among those who fled keeps a majority of refugees from returning home at present. Up to an estimated 500,000 remain internally displaced.
This latest U.S. contribution includes $6.5 million in support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and $1 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This assistance will help provide basic life support such as food, health care, and essential household items; the construction and maintenance of camps where needed; increasing access to clean water; and will support efforts to restore family links severed as a result of displacement.
The United States, through the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, has provided more than $28 million for humanitarian response in Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, and other neighboring countries since March 2011. The U.S. Agency for International Development has also provided almost $23 million in funding and food aid to non-governmental organizations and UN agencies in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.
or details on these contributions, please see the chart that follows.
For further information, contact Beth Schlachter at schlachteren@state.gov
U.S. Government Funding for Humanitarian Assistance for People Affected
by the Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire from January 2011 to June, 2011
Organization |
Activity |
Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) | Protection and assistance for refugees in Liberia and other neighboring countries, and for IDPs in Côte d’Ivoire. | $23,300,000 |
| World Food Program (WFP) | Provision of food for Ivoirian refugees in Liberia and IDPs in Côte d’Ivoire. | $16,400,000 |
| World Food Program (WFP) | Logistics for emergency food operations in Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. | $1,350,000 |
| International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) | Medical and surgical care, water and sanitation facilities, livelihood training, family reunification, etc. in countries surrounding Côte d’Ivoire. | $3,000,000 |
| UNICEF | Health, water, sanitation, and nutrition for Côte d’Ivoire and Liberian communities hosting refugees. | $1,800,000 |
| UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) | Coordination of humanitarian agencies in Côte d’Ivoire. | $500,000 |
| Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)/Liberia | Support for NGOs who are providing various kinds of relief and assistance to Ivoirian refugees. | $1,000,000 |
| NGOs/Liberia | Support for NGOs assisting Liberia communities hosting Ivoirian refugees. | $2,430,425 |
| NGOs/Côte d’Ivoire | Support for NGOs providing assistance to IDPs. | $1,025,077 |
| International Organization for Migration (IOM) | IDP camp coordination and emergency transport for internally displaced persons and third country nationals fleeing Côte d’Ivoire. | $700,000 |
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