The UN refugee agency has welcomed the airlift of more then 36,000 kilograms of relief supplies by the Italian government for its operations helping Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of NWFP. The urgently needed goods including generators, tents, plastic rolls, and jerry cans arrived on an Airbus 300 from Brindisi, Italy at Chaklala Military Air Base Islamabad Saturday morning, a press release said on Saturday.
The relief goods were officially handed over to the UNHCR by the Italian government. The goods are now on their way to UNHCR's operational hub in the NWFP, where they will be used to help improve conditions in camps for displaced people.
UNHCR is urgently working to improve conditions in camps, including establishing separate community spaces for men and women with electricity, fans and cooling. The agency is also working to provide more shade about tents to help protect people from the intense heat. UNHCR's representative in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christo said the airlift by the Italian government was a welcome and tangible expression of solidarity from the international community.
'We have seen a massive displacement of people in a very short time. People have fled their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs. We urgently need more relief supplies to make life more comfortable for those people now living in hot camps. These relief items donated by Italy will make an important contribution,' Christos said.