An agreement has been signed between the
Angolan government and IOM to strengthen cooperation on providing
displaced populations and recently returned vulnerable persons
better access to basic health and sanitation.

Health Minister, Dr. Sebastião Veloso,
acknowledged the agreement would be significant in helping to deal
with difficult health issues in the country such as HIV and AIDS
and diseases such as cholera. Angola is currently experiencing a
cholera outbreak with more than 36’000 people infected by the
disease that has already left more than 1,300 dead.

According to Dr. Veloso, the agreement could
lead to other opportunities for supporting internally displaced
people (IDPs) and vulnerable populations such as recently returned
refugees and demobilized soldiers who are currently living in
extreme poverty.

Over the last three years, IOM has supported
the voluntary repatriation of almost 100,000 Angolan refugees from
neighbouring countries. As part of its efforts to help rebuild or
revitalize return communities, IOM facilitates the socio-economic
reintegration of refugees as well as IDPs, demobilized soldiers and
other community members. This includes improving social services
through the reconstruction of schools and health posts and in
raising awareness on HIV as most refugees have returned from
countries with higher HIV/AIDS rates than Angola.

“This agreement not only allows IOM to
strengthen these kinds of efforts, but also to include more health
and sanitation components in our community revitalization
work,” said IOM’s Ivan Dávalos, acting chief of
mission in Angola. In the second half of 2006, a special focus will
be the improvement of sanitation for returnees through the
installation of latrines.

For further information, please contact:

Katharina Schnöring

IOM Luanda

Tel: +244 222 37 08 77

Fax: +244 222 37 09 77

E-mail: "mailto:kschnoring@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">kschnoring@iom.int