09 March 2011

U.S. Commits $12.6 Million for Côte d’Ivoire Humanitarian Aid

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
March 9, 2011

MEDIA NOTE

White House Commits $12.6 Million for Côte d’Ivoire Humanitarian Response

President Obama announced that the U.S. Government, through the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, will provide $12.6 million in emergency funds to international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) assisting refugee and other displaced populations resulting from recent political unrest and violence in Côte d’Ivoire. More than 75,000 refugees have fled Côte d’Ivoire, mainly to Liberia. Hundreds of thousands more are internally displaced in Côte d’Ivoire.

The U.S. commitment includes support for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to Ivoirian refugees and internally-displaced persons (IDPs). It also includes support for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to enhance logistical capacity for humanitarian operations in Liberia, and the International Organization for Migration to assist and transport IDPs and individuals fleeing Côte d’Ivoire. Funds will also be provided to select NGOs in Liberia to provide relief and assistance to Ivoirian refugees.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has already provided some $4.1 million in funding and food aid to WFP, UNICEF, and several NGOs in Liberia. With the President’s latest commitment, the U.S. will have provided almost $17 million in humanitarian assistance to refugees and IDPs in the region.

For more information, contact Beth Schlachter at schlachteren@state.gov.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)