UN HEALTH AGENCY TO SET UP PERMANENT OFFICE IN IRAQI CAPITAL

UN HEALTH AGENCY TO SET UP PERMANENT OFFICE IN IRAQI CAPITAL New York, Jun 28 2008 6:00PM The United Nations health agency is establishing a permanent office in Baghdad as part of the world body's efforts to provide greater support to the Iraqi people, the senior UN official in the country announced today.

Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said the move by the World Health Organization (WHO) should help to ease the humanitarian plight of Iraqis.

WHO's representative in Iraq, Nae'ema Al-Gasseer, will be permanently based in Baghdad.

"We will continue to provide more support to the Iraqis through our programmes in many areas of activity," Mr. de Mistura said in a statement, voicing his appreciation to WHO for its decision.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has said he would like the UN to have an expanded presence in Iraq, has increased the number of staff in both Baghdad and the northern city of Erbil, while still taking strict measures to deal with the security situation.

2008-06-28 00:00:00.000

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