UN plans six-day mission to Afghanistan, Pakistan

Humanitarian emergency directors from various UN agencies will travel on a six-day mission to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United Nations said Thursday.

During the visit from May 26 to June 1, the directors will see for themselves "the ongoing humanitarian operations in the countries and look into ways in which the humanitarian community can strengthen its response to meet the needs of communities affected by conflict, natural disasters and displacement," a media advisory released here said.

While in both countries, the officials will meet with government authorities to discuss operational challenges for humanitarian programs in both countries, it said.

More specifically, in Afghanistan, they are planning to meet with representatives from aid organizations and undertake field visits to better assess the humanitarian needs in the country, said the advisory.

While in Pakistan the officials are scheduled to visit the Jalozai Camp, which is now home to about 12,500 families displaced by the complex emergencies in the region. After that, they are hoping to visit communities affected by recurrent floods in Sindh province, the advisory added.

The members of the six-day mission includes directors from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP) , the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).