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USAID Provides Humanitarian Assistance
to the People of Georgia
While on a two-day trip to assess the U.S. humanitarian response to the situation in Georgia, USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore met with President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi.
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August 29, 2008
- A USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has been in Tbilisi since August 15 to conduct humanitarian
needs assessments, coordinate with the GoG and relief agencies, and inform further USAID assistance priorities.
Following the withdrawal of Russian troops, the accelerated pace of internally displaced person (IDP) returns, and the
conclusion of the acute phase of the humanitarian emergency in Georgia, the USAID DART is preparing to
demobilize on September 13. The interagency U.S. Government (USG) response worked with the Government of
Georgia (GoG), U.N. agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide critical and timely assistance
to populations affected by the recent conflict. To date, total USG humanitarian assistance to Georgia is valued at
nearly $39 million, including more than $12.1 million from USAID/OFDA, nearly $9.2 million from the U.S.
Department of State (State), and nearly $17.5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
- USAID/OFDA will continue to provide technical assistance and facilitate the identification and prioritization of early
recovery activities in the livelihoods and shelter sectors. A USAID/OFDA Livelihoods Specialist arrived in Georgia
on September 10. During the week of September 11, USAID/OFDA will dispatch a Shelter Specialist and an
Emergency Disaster Relief Coordinator to Tbilisi to work with the GoG, U.N. and NGOs on programmatic issues.
Humanitarian Assistance Fact Sheets
09/11/08: Fact Sheet #18 (pdf, 52kb)
09/11/08: Map #18 (pdf, 1.6mb )
| ESTIMATED NUMBERS AT A GLANCE | SOURCE |
|---|
| Displaced Persons at Height of Crisis | 185,000* | U.N. Georgia - September 1, 2008 |
| Returnees to parts of Georgia | 90,500 | UNHCR1 - September 3, 2008 |
| Population Displaced for Long Term** | 30,000 | UNHCR - September 3, 2008 |
FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE
| USAID/OFDA Assistance to Georgia |
$12,100,043 |
| State/EUR/ACE2 Assistance to Georgia |
$3,487,583 |
| State/PRM Assistance to Georgia |
$5,750,000 |
| DOD3 Assistance to Georgia |
$17,486,434 |
| Total USAID, State, and DOD Humanitarian Assistance to Georgia |
$38,824,060 |
* Estimate reflects population movements at the height of the crisis, estimates have since declined.
* * Estimate reflects IDPs displaced in August 2008 and unable to return home in the medium to long term.
1 Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
2 U.S. Department of State Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (State/EUR/ACE)
3 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
CURRENT SITUATION
Humanitarian Access
- On September 8, the U.N. reported that Russian authorities turned away a four-vehicle convoy attempting to enter
South Ossetia from the checkpoint in Karaleti. The convoy which included staff from the Office of the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), U.N. World Food Program (WFP), and U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF)
turned back after an hour-long wait and a brief conversation with a Russian general. U.N. staff had hoped to conduct
a preliminary humanitarian assessment mission and deliver food supplies, including wheat flour, pasta, sugar, and
other staple items to villages around South Ossetia. According to Russian officials, soldiers turned the convoy away
because the U.N. had not submitted an official request for passage. U.N. authorities reported communicating
operation plans and submitting an access request to Russian authorities. Prior to the arrival of the U.N. convoy,
Russian soldiers also turned away a vehicle from USAID's partner CARE International when staff were trying to
access South Ossetia to conduct an interagency humanitarian assessment. Russian soldiers first turned away CARE
staff on September 7, requesting that staff return after submitting a list, in Russian, of humanitarian agencies involved.
Russian soldiers continue to permit a regular flow of civilian traffic to and from South Ossetia. USAID staff are
following the situation closely and liaising with U.N. and NGO staff in hopes of securing more regular access to South
Ossetia. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the U.N. and OCHA
continue to discuss the importance of unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies with local and Russian authorities.
OCHA also confirmed that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) continues to have unimpeded access
to the security zone and South Ossetia.
Population Movement and Displacement
- Following the September 6 and 7 WFP food distribution in Tbilisi, WFP reported that preliminary results indicate that
the number of IDPs in Tbilisi collective centers has decreased below 40,000 IDPs. CARE, Save the Children (SC),
and World Vision (WVI) reported that some schools are already empty.
- Although the GoG and relief agencies have not updated earlier displacement estimates, the USAID DART team and
humanitarian partners continue to report increased returns throughout Georgia. According to USAID DART, the
remaining IDP populations continue to decrease from levels of earlier GoG estimates, and represented populations
displaced from South Ossetia and Abkhazia may remain displaced for the medium to long term. In addition, USAID
DART staff reported that some IDPs are moving between villages of origin and Tbilisi to tend to crops and livestock
for short periods of time.
Protection
- On September 9, USAID DART staff visited Gori Camp #1, initially designed to accommodate 1,000 IDPs. USAID
DART staff report that UNHCR and partner NGOs have successfully expanded the camp to accommodate 2,073
IDPs, representing 650 families living in 217 tents, for an average of three families per tent. According to UNHCR,
on September 6 and 7, more than 100 new IDPs arrived each day. As of September 9, the daily rate of new arrivals
slowed to approximately 30 individuals per day, although IDP numbers in Gori city continue to rise. On September 5,
for example, UNHCR reported 6,400 IDPs in Gori city, including 1,600 in Gori Camp #1, 2,400 IDPs in collective
centers, and nearly 2,400 IDPs living with host families. As of September 9, the total number of IDPs increased to
approximately 6,900 IDPs, with the addition of nearly 500 people in Gori Camp #1, representing a 30 percent increase
in the camp population since September 5. Out of the 500 new arrivals, approximately 220 people came from
insecure villages and the remainder came from Tbilisi IDP collective centers.
- According to UNHCR staff, several factors triggered the recent movement of IDPs back to Gori, including hostfamily
fatigue in Tbilisi; a shift by IDPs placed in schools and kindergartens in Tbilisi to move to Gori; and the
possibility of Gori-level reunification of families and communities. To date, UNHCR reports that the basic needs of
the increasing population have been addressed; however, due to dropping temperatures, humanitarian agencies hope to
distribute sleeping bags to camp residents.
- On September 11, USAID’s implementing partner SC received 111 DOD-provided tents for the creation of additional
child-friendly centers in IDP collective centers.
Shelter and Settlements
- On September 5, international news agencies reported that the Government of Germany announced its intent to
provide prefabricated houses for 1,800 IDPs in Georgia. The German Federal Foreign Ministry has granted 8 million
euros (approximately $11.5 million) to the German development aid agency GTZ which was scheduled to begin
assembly of the 350 units during the week of September 9, in hopes of completion prior to winter. Previously, the
German Federal Foreign Ministry provided 2.2 million euros to support emergency relief by aid agencies.
- On September 6, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation reported plans to support a cash voucher
program for 1,000 to 1,500 host families in selected west Georgian settlements based on the results of a planned
September 12 to 22 assessment.
- At a September 8 meeting, a GoG Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation (MRA) representative reported that the
GoG is planning on consolidating Tbilisi collective centers and relocating IDPs to make schools available for the
resumption of classes. The GoG plans to maintain only 15 schools, in addition to other kindergarten and public
buildings, for use as IDP collective centers in Tbilisi. The MRA representative requested that the humanitarian
community provide resettlement packages for IDPs following relocation. The MRA representative agreed to provide
participants with the list of post-consolidated centers in the coming days.
- On September 9, the USAID DART Shelter and Settlements Advisor accompanied UNHCR representatives to meet
with the Deputy Governor of Shida Kartli Region, local officials, and U.N. and NGO staff to discuss temporary
shelter measures incorporated in the Shelter Coordination Group’s temporary and transitional shelter strategy. During
the meeting, the Deputy Governor stated that the humanitarian community should commence temporary shelter
activities immediately, including host family and community support, winterization of IDP collective centers, and
rehabilitation of houses in surrounding villages that could become increasingly accessible as a result of recent events,
as well as any other temporary shelter activities that could support IDPs. However, the humanitarian community is
still waiting for national level approval.
- As of September 11, the GoG has not released an official GoG IDP Settlement Plan or approved the temporary and
transitional shelter strategy developed by the Shelter Coordination Group to enable efforts to move forward. The
humanitarian community continues to emphasize the need for the inclusion of temporary and transitional shelter
programs in complement to proposed durable solutions outlined in the GoG Settlement Plan in order to meet IDP
shelter needs prior to the onset of winter.
Livelihoods
- The USAID/OFDA Livelihoods Specialist arrived in Georgia on September 10. USAID DART staff continue to
prioritize livelihood support programs for IDPs remaining in collective centers for the medium to long term. In
coordination with the USAID Mission, the USAID/DART livelihoods strategy focuses on restoring household
purchasing power and replacing or repairing productive assets of IDPs and conflict-affected populations. Recent
USAID DART assessments of Gori and several surrounding villages indicated that populations temporarily displaced
by the recent conflict have returned and resumed normal livelihood activities.
Food Security
- According to WFP, ICRC has adequate food inventories to cover needs in the buffer zone through March 2009.
- USAID's implementing partners CARE International, Save the Children, and World Vision International have agreed
to pool resources for a combined procurement of complementary food commodities for IDPs. USAID/OFDA has
provided each of the three organizations with funding for complementary food programs.
Logistics and Coordination
- USAID/OFDA has provided more than $2.6 million for emergency relief commodities and the local transportation
and distribution of USG humanitarian assistance for families displaced during the recent conflict, including $1 million
to WFP to coordinate the distribution of relief supplies. Through the USAID/OFDA warehouse in Pisa, Italy,
USAID/OFDA provided 9,900 mattresses, 26,422 hygiene kits, and 6,050 blankets. In addition, USAID/OFDA
financed and coordinated the local distribution of all USG provided humanitarian commodities transported as part of
the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) airlift and three U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard shipments.
- Between August 13 and September 4, EUCOM conducted 59 humanitarian missions, delivering a total of 356,380
humanitarian daily rations (HDRs), 154,368 meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), 10,432 cots, 19,184 sleeping bags, the
26,422 hygiene kits provided by USAID/OFDA, 9,254 blankets, 6,040 sheets, 3,431 mattresses, 653 boxes of medical
supplies, and other relief commodities from State and DOD warehouses in Germany and from USAID stockpiles in
Italy.
- In addition, the USS McFaul, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter (USCGS) Dallas, and the USS Mount Whitney delivered
approximately 132 tons of emergency relief commodities, including 4,025 of the USAID/OFDA-provided blankets.
- As of September 11, the USAID DART distributed all USG-provided commodities stored in the USAID warehouse in
Tbilisi to U.N. or NGO partners.
USAID, STATE, AND DOD HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
- On August 9, U.S. Ambassador John F. Tefft declared a disaster due to the effects of armed conflict in Georgia. To
date, total USG humanitarian assistance to Georgia is valued at nearly $39 million, including more than $12.1 million
from USAID/OFDA, nearly $9.2 million from the State, and nearly $17.5 million from DOD.
- To respond to immediate emergency needs for conflict-affected populations, the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi released prepositioned
disaster packages, including medical supplies, tents, blankets, bedding, hygiene items, and clothing valued
at $1.2 million. State/EUR/ACE has provided additional emergency relief commodities valued at $2.3 million from
storage warehouses in Germany.
- On August 13, EUCOM began airlifting USAID/OFDA, DOD, and State/EUR/ACE-provided relief and medical
supplies to Tbilisi. Seven NGO partners, including Counterpart International, Samaritan’s Purse, CARE International,
the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), WVI, SC, and Mercy Corps, have been delivering USG
emergency relief commodities to populations in need.
- On August 14, USAID/OFDA in collaboration with USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, provided $1 million to WFP
for the procurement of 653.5 metric tons of emergency food commodities for populations affected by the ongoing
emergency. Following the release of the August 18 U.N. Flash Appeal, USAID/OFDA provided an additional $1
million to WFP to coordinate the distribution of emergency relief supplies and $750,000 to UNICEF for WASH issues
in conflict-affected areas. On August 25, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $113,000 to the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) to conduct an agriculture and food security needs assessment in conflict-affected areas.
- On August 28, the President approved an ERMA drawdown of $5.75 million. State/PRM is processing these funds
for contributions of $2 million for ICRC and $3.75 million for UNHCR.
- On September 3, the USG announced plans to provide $1 billion of aid to support Georgia’s humanitarian needs and
economic recovery. The multi-sector support includes funds for humanitarian assistance, as well as funds to rebuild
Georgia's infrastructure and economy.
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