Brussels, 13/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to grant €3 million in emergency humanitarian aid to the vulnerable populations which have been the victims of the conflict between the armed forces of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on the island of Mindanao.
The funds, which will be taken from the budget of ECHO (the humanitarian aid service of the Commission), will be used to help more than 240,000 displaced persons, most of whom are living under extremely difficult conditions in the evacuation centres, resettlement sites or host families.
It will fund food aid and nutritional surveillance, primary health care, drinking water provision and cleaning infrastructure, the provision of shelter, protection and psychosocial activities for displaced children.
This aid will be implemented by NGOs, specialist agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, all of which are partners of ECHO on the ground.
The Commission allocated €6.5 million in emergency aid to victims of the conflict in Mindanao back in 2008. The Philippines have also received some €2 million of the €10 million budget of the DIPECHO action plan for disaster preparedness, which was adopted for South East Asia in 2008. (A.N./transl.fl)