*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1993.11.10 : PHS Personnel to UN U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Contact: Linda Vogel Wednesday, Nov. 10, 1993 (301) 443-1774 HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala and Mrs. Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have signed a memorandum of understanding permitting temporary assignment of U.S. Public Health Service personnel to UNHCR. On signing the memorandum of understanding, Secretary Shalala expressed deep concern about the 19 million refugees in the world, and acknowledged the enormous demands on UNHCR to respond to this suffering, particularly that of women and children. "This agreement is an important vehicle for using the very substantial expertise of HHS in such areas as epidemiology, nutrition, maternal and child health, and sanitation to improve the situation of refugee populations," Secretary Shalala said. "This cooperation will also provide our Public Health Service with additional experience to be applied in other public health emergency situations." Mrs. Ogata said she sought the agreement as a timely and cost effective way to enhance UNHCR's capacity to deal with serious health and nutrition problems during international refugee emergencies. UNHCR is the international agency responsible for providing protection and assistance to asylum seekers and refugees. UNHCR has also been designated by the secretary general of the United Nations to provide assistance in certain regions to internally displaced persons or populations at risk, such as in the former Yugoslavia. The memorandum of understanding will permit UNHCR to draw on the technical resources and expert staff from agencies of the U.S. Public Health Service, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the office of International and Refugee Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, which is effective immediately, UNHCR would cover the travel and living expenses for the temporarily assigned U.S. staff and incorporate their expertise into its emergency field staff.