UNHCR's Kyrgyzstan Air-lift Starts This Weekend Geneva, 18 June 2010 - This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 18 June 2010, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR's airlift into Kyrgyzstan is scheduled to launch this weekend. Two chartered Ilyushin-76 cargo planes carrying 80 tonnes of relief items are expected to arrive in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh. This initial assistance will help cover the immediate needs of about 15,000 people. The first flight, with 800 tents, is expected to land in Osh on Saturday 19 June, while the second plane carrying other aid from our emergency stockpile in Dubai is expected to be arriving on Sunday 20 June. The situation in southern Kyrgyzstan remains fragile and tense. There are continued sporadic reports of violence. Access for humanitarian workers to many parts of Osh and southern Kyrgyzstan is extremely difficult and limited. We estimate some 300,000 people are internally displaced in Kyrgyzstan, while an additional 100,000 are estimated to have taken refuge in Uzbekistan. UNHCR's part of a joint UN humanitarian funding appeal to assist the internally displaced population in Kyrgyzstan, being launched today in New York, amounts to some USD 10 million. The funds will allow UNHCR to cover the needs of some 260,000 internally displaced people who are currently being sheltered by families and host communities for the next three months. Some 40,000 others require immediate shelter. UNHCR has already spent some USD 2.5 million for initial aid to support the airlifts to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. A separate funding appeal is expected to be launched next week for Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, the sixth relief flight into Uzbekistan is expected to land at Andijan airport later today. This will complete the initial airlift of some 240 tonnes of relief supplies. UNHCR began the airlift to Uzbekistan from its emergency stockpile in IHC Dubai on Wednesday. UNHCR will continue to coordinate closely with the Uzbekistan government and the UN country team to identify and support the needs of the refugee population. Photo: Emergency Relief being sent from International Humanitarian City, Dubai About UNHCR: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. In more than five decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to help about 34 million persons. To learn more, please visit www.unhcr.org. For further information, please contact: • for local inquiries (UAE): Firas Kayal External Relations Officer UNHCR Abu Dhabi Tel.: +971-2-6677668 Mobile: + 971-50-6139439 Fax: + 97126676615 E-mail: kayal@unhcr.org • for international inquiries: Andrej Mahecic Senior Information Officer UNHCR Geneva Phone: +41 22 739 86 57 Mobile: +41 79 200 76 17 E-mail: mahecic@unhcr.org • or UNHCR Media + Public Information Service phone: +41 22 739 85 02 fax: +41 22 739 73 14 e-mail: hqpi00@unhcr.org