United Nations Radio

A UN humanitarian assessment mission is now in North Ossetia.

The mission has been coordinated with the Russian and Georgian authorities and will visit Moscow, South Ossetia and Tbilisi.

The objective of the mission is to gain first-hand knowledge of the humanitarian and human rights situations and needs on the ground, including the position of those displaced by the conflict and other vulnerable groups.

The results of the mission will feed into the revision of the humanitarian Flash Appeal, launched on 18 August.

The mission is being led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and comprises representatives of key UN humanitarian agencies, namely UNICEF, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme, as well as a representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The United Nations is also planning a broader fact-finding mission to the region.

This is Donn Bobb reporting.

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