UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF VALERIE AMOS TO VISIT THE REPUBLIC OF MALI

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 27, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF VALERIE AMOS TO VISIT THE REPUBLIC OF MALI

WHO: Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

WHAT: Mission to the Republic of Mali

WHEN: 28 – 30 August 2012

WHERE: Bamako and Mopti

UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos is scheduled to travel to the Republic of Mali from 28 to 30 August 2012

UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos is scheduled to travel to the Republic of Mali from 28 to 30 August 2012.

During the trip, she will assess the ongoing humanitarian response and draw attention to the severe food and nutrition crisis affecting 4.6 million people in Mali, including 175,000 children at risk of severe acute malnutrition.

The crisis has been further exacerbated by insecurity in the North that has forced more than 430,000 people from their homes.

During her meetings with Government officials and humanitarian partners, Ms. Amos is expected to explore ways to strengthen humanitarian operations and improve access to the north of the country. She will also call for urgent funding to scale up operations in the south, where the majority of people suffering the effects of the food and nutrition crisis live.