Toby Lanzer has been appointed as a new Representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Before joining the UN he worked for nongovernmental organizations in Chile and Brazil in the field of humanitarian assistance and development cooperation. His first post for the UN was in Angola, where he worked for three years. After leaving Angola he worked at the UN headquarters in New York. In 1996, Toby Lanzer was assigned to Georgia as Representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Since arriving in Moscow in August 1999 to head the OCHA office, nearly all of Lanzer’s attention has been focused on the situation in the Northern Caucasus which he sees as one of his greatest challenges to date.

Despite his busy schedule, Toby Lanzer uses every opportunity to extend his knowledge of Russia. He speaks Russian fluently and enjoys the country’s literature and culture.

What Is OCHA?

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is part of the United Nations Secretariat in New York and has the mandate to coordinate UN assistance in humanitarian crises that go beyond the capacity and mandate of any single humanitarian agency. Today’s emergencies are multi-dimensional and involve the host government, donor states, UN agencies, and nongovernmental organizations which seek to provide relief to civilians in need. OCHA works with them to ensure that there is a coherent framework within which each participant can contribute effectively and promptly to the overall effort.

In the Russian Federation, OCHA functions as the UN Resident Coordinator’s secretariat, assisting him in carrying out his functions. OCHA’s specific tasks include:

• Assisting the Resident Coordinator in maintaining a dialog with the Russian Government to secure an effective framework of cooperation, in particular on issues such as overall coordination between the Russian Government and the United Nations, its agencies, and their partners;

• Supporting the Resident Coordinator in ensuring that the UN agencies coordinate activities related to humanitarian aid;

• Promoting information exchange, contingency planning, and program complementarity between the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and its partners, and the nongovernmental organizations;

• Facilitating the ongoing dialog between the UN and donor governments on humanitarian issues and mobilizing resources for humanitarian action, including by issuing joint appeals.

Inter–Agency Assessment Mission to the North Caucasus

The UN dispatched an inter-agency mission to Ingushetia and Daghestan from November 3 to 8, 1999 in order to assess emergency relief needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and families that have given them shelter. The mission, conducted jointly by OCHA, UNDP/UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, and the office of the United Nations Security Coordinator (UNSECOORD), and accompanied by representatives of the Russian Government at the federal and regional levels, found the humanitarian situation in the area very difficult and likely to deteriorate sharply unless relief needs are addressed urgently. In addition to requirements for relief supplies , protection-related issues such as access to assistance were found to be a priority. The mission recommended that the international community immediately enhance relief efforts supporting and complementing the work already being done by the government, particularly in the areas of food aid, temporary shelter care, health, as well as addressing psychosocial rehabilitation and re-establishment of livelihoods. In light of the assessment of aid requirements, the UN drew up a plan of action and issued an appeal.

On November 23, 1999, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan signed a United Nations Inter-Agency Flash Appeal for the North Caucasus, seeking US$ 16.2 million to address humanitarian needs of 250,000 IDPs and members of host families from December 1, 1999 to February 29, 2000. The flash appeal aims to address the relief needs of the affected populations with humanitarian and food aid and winterization, including shelter and relief items, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, and education. The planning scenarios elaborated jointly by the participating agencies target some 250,000 beneficiaries: 125,000 IDPs, 100,000 members of host families, and 25,000 persons as a contingency planning figure. The flash appeal, as well as further information on the situation in the North Caucasus are available on OCHA’s website: http://www.reliefweb.int or from its Moscow office.

Koichiro Matsuura Appointed as Director-General of UNESCO

Mr. Koichiro Matsuura of Japan was appointed to serve a six-year term as Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at the 30th Session of Organization’s General Conference on November 12, 1999.

Mr. Koichiro Matsuura was born in 1937 in Tokyo. He was trained in law at the Law Department of Tokyo University and in economics at the Economics Department of Haverford College, Pennsylvania, USA. He began his career at Japan’s Foreign Ministry in 1959, where he held posts of Director-General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau (1988); head of the Foreign Ministry’s North America Department (1990), and Deputy Foreign Minister (1992-94). He has served as Japan’s Ambassador to France, Andorra and Djibouti since 1994. He has also served as head of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee for one year, until November 1999. Mr. Koichiro Matsuura has published six books on Japanese diplomacy, economics, and on relations between Japan and France and Japan and the United States.

Goodwill

A charity event was organized on 20 November at the Centre of temporary detention for adolescent offenders under the Moscow Interior Services. The event was dedicated to the Universal Children`s Day and ten years of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child celebrated this year. UNAR actively participated in the preparatory activities for the event together with the Trustee Fund of the Centre, the «Artintercom» company and the Moscow Office of the All–Russian Red Cross Society, Central Regional Salvation Army Office, the Russian Children’s Fund, All–Russian Public Movement «Orthodox Russia».

Children and adolescents from Russia and the neighbouring countries, who are in difficult life situation or have committed crime are accommodated in the Centre before going to specialized penitentiary institutions. Here one can find children with wounded souls and those mentally broken, with deformed morals and values.

There is a need for great effort, care and cordiality to change something in their life for better and help them to find their way. Administration, staff and the Board of Trustees of the Centre do whatever possible during this limited time to facilitate social rehabilitation of an individual and help him/her to positively change their future.

The charity event started with an exhibition – World Through Child’s Eyes – which presented works by the children from the Centre involved into a charity programme «Creative Centre». The major objective of the programme it to assist children understand the value of their human individuality, restore dignity. It helps to overcome stress, to reduce aggressiveness, apathy, psychological discomfort and negative complexes. Diverse artistic techniques, philosophic interpretation of human values and such complex subjects as religion, ecology, drugs made the exhibition attractive and interesting. One of the most outstanding exhibits was a portrait of the Patriarch of All-Russia Alexy II, painted by Artem Mustaffin from Donetsk in water-colour.

Opening of the exhibition was followed by a concert. Alexei Borisov, Executive Secretary of the UNAR addressed children with a brief history of the Universal Children`s Day.