UNJLC LIBERIA
Bulletin 14
11 November to 18 November 2003

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UNJLC bulletins aim to provide a concise weekly overview of UNJLC activities and the present logistical situation in regard to the crisis in Liberia. In addition sector/country specific reports will be released regularly in order to provide in-depth coverage of priority areas.

Contact details for all UNJLC offices are available on the UNJLC website.

CONTENTS

• 1. HIGHLIGHTS
• 2. SECURITY
• 3. AIR OPERATIONS
• 4. SEA PORT OPERATIONS
• 5. BORDER CROSSINGS, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION
• 6. TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
• 7. LOGISTICS CO-ORDINATION
• 8. CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION
• 9. FUEL (Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene) / COMMODITY PRICES
• 10. LIBERIA UNJLC INTERNATIONAL STAFF
• 11. OTHER

1. HIGHLIGHTS

The Humanitarian Operations Centre (HOC) commenced its services as an Operations Centre on 19 November. Services provided by the Centre include Logistics Coordination-Movement Control, Civil-Military Coordination, Security, Humanitarian Information, and the government liaison by the Liberian Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC). More details of the Centre and contact points are provided below.

Updated contact lists for Roberts International Airport and Monrovia Freeport Authority are provided below.

The Executive Director of WFP, Mr. James Morris paid a one-day visit to WFP Liberia.

2. SECURITY

On 13 November, a WFP rented truck was attacked and looted at Somalia Drive in Monrovia where it had parked due to a flat tire.  

There were reports on further fighting south of Saclepea in Nimba County. These reports could not be verified but it was reported that the fighting had moved west to Kpein just 20 km southwest of Ganta.

UNMIL has imposed a curfew on its staff members effective from midnight 17 November.  The curfew is for all off-duty travel from 1200 to 0500 AM.
Disturbances were reported in Buchanan last week but the situation has stabilized.

Monrovia remains in UN Security Phase IV, while the rest of Liberia continues to be designated as Phase V.

3. AIR OPERATIONS

The new Managing Director at Roberts International Airport (RIA) was appointed on 14 November. Mr. John Collins can be contacted at + 377 47 535 617.  Further changes within the airport authority may further take place. Below is updated contact list for the RIA Administration:

The transport from Monrovia to Freetown of 250 Sierra Leonean refugees for UNHCR continued.  About 22 refugees were returned to Sierra Leone last week.

Negotiations to reduce handling fees at Spriggs Payne airfield continue between WFP, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transport. WFP expects to eventually shift its air operations from Roberts International Airport, located 45 km southeast of Monrovia to Spriggs Payne in downtown Monrovia. UNMIL has commenced refurbishment of the passenger terminal and the VIP area.  The UNMIL Aviation section is to sign an Agreement on the use of the airport for the UN. Improvements to the airfield's fencing, provision of fire safety equipment, and re-surfacing of the runway will commence once negotiations with the Liberian government are finalised. 

Two WFP passenger airplanes flew into Spriggs Payne on 7 and 15 November. The control tower is fully operational and a small UNMIL contingent is already deployed at the airport, including an air force liaison officer. 

The Executive Director of WFP, Mr. James Morris, visited Monrovia on 15 November. His flight landed at Spriggs Payne Airport.

An updated Passenger Request Form is available on the UNJLC website. 

Final details and data for use in the compilation of a comprehensive planning map of Roberts International Airport (RIA). This will take a form similar to that of the UNJLC Freeport of Monrovia planning map, downloadable from the UNJLC website.

Contacts: WFP West Africa Air Service contacts are as follows:

4. SEA PORT OPERATIONS

Below is an updated contact list for the Monrovia Freeport Authority:

Contacts for the Ghanaian Security contingent (UNMIL) at the Freeport are as follows:

Commanding Officer - Lt Col James Adoinama: +377 47 530 657

Operations Officer - Major Louman Gbetanu: +377 47 530 654

Military Intelligence Officer - Capt Errigton Commil: +377 47 530 649

5. BORDER CROSSINGS, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION

UNJLC and UNDP met with the Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to highlight those Privileges and Immunities enjoyed by the UN system, and agreed upon by the Government of Liberia in the Standard Basic Agreement. Consensus was reached on the need to reactivate the proper implementation of this agreement, and the Chief of Protocol stated her desire to establish, upon receipt of a written outline of the issue by UNDP, an inter-Ministerial working group to explore ways of achieving this. 

UNJLC and UNDP held a meeting with the Commissioner for Immigration in order to both finalise the documentation of the current Immigration system, and to explain those privileges and immunities enjoyed by the UN system in Liberia. A copy of the Standard Basic Agreement between the UN and the Government of Liberia was presented to the Commissioner and a follow-up meeting will take place on 19 November in order to discuss ways of harmonising the current system with those immunities outlined in the Agreement. 

UNJLC and UNDP met with the Deputy Ministers of Finance for Revenue, Administration, and Expenditure on 18 November.  An explanation of the current moves to re-instate those privileges and immunities pertaining to the United Nations was presented to the Deputy Ministers. Copies of the Standard Basic Agreement between the Government of Liberia and UNDP were distributed, and discussion was held on harmonising current procedures with this document. The Ministry of Finance has recently been tasked with the collection of all monies payable to the Government of Liberia, and consequently the Ministry will play a key role in the Government in the harmonisation process. 

The first draft of the UNJLC Customs and Immigration Guide is available on the website.

6. TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

The deadline for the submission of bids for the UNJLC Road Assessment Project passed on 17 November, and the process of analysis and awarding of contracts is now underway. Training of road assessors continues, with practical exercises in the use of assessment forms, GPS, digital cameras and laptops. 

Continued liaison with UNMIL regarding the imminent UNJLC Road Assessment Project has ensured that UNMIL information requirements will be serviced in addition to those expressed by the Humanitarian Community.  Further co-operation with UNMIL for the second phase of the assessment project (secondary roads) is under discussion. 

UNJLC is liaising with UNMIL to establish procedures for using UNMIL's transport assets.

UNJLC is facilitating an assessment of the buses in the country. The survey is ongoing.

UNJLC/GTZ transport survey is available from the UNJLC office.  The survey is also accessible on the website.

7. LOGISTICS CO-ORDINATION

From this week onwards, UNJLC will no longer be holding and chairing the Joint Logistics Meeting in the HOC, ground floor of the WFP building.  

UNJLC initiated a Joint Logistics Working Group. The first meeting was held in the WFP Conference Room at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 12, 2003. It was attended by UN agencies and NGOs.  UNJLC is attempting to have the humanitarian community included in the benefits provided by the SOFA (Status of Force Agreement). The five humanitarian hubs of Zwedru, Gbarnga, Saclepea, Voinjama and Harper are to be assessed by WFP with particular focus on accommodation, communication, fuel storage and office space.  UNJLC is liaising with UNMIL to identify excess capacity that can potentially be shared by UN agencies and humanitarian organisations. The participants were informed of the opening of the HOC and the services it will provide. 

The HOC opened on 15 November.  The 'Humanitarian Operations Centre (HOC)' concept will facilitate and support coordination between humanitarian organisations. The HOC will operate by creating a common facility that can focus on customer service, and by creating the opportunity to work together on common issues, pooling the experience and expertise of the respective humanitarian organisations. 

Under the authority of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC)/UN Country Team (UNCT), and in close coordination with the Liberian Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), the Humanitarian Operations Centre (HOC) will serve as a common platform and the entity for the coordination of UN common services in support of the operational activities undertaken by humanitarian organisations, including UN agencies and NGOs, responding to the emergency in Liberia.

The following entities will be integrated and represented in the HOC:

 Logistics Coordination & Movement Control Centre (UNJLC) - provide logistics information and address any logistical bottlenecks that might arise for the humanitarian community

 Civil-Military Coordination (CMCOORD/ UNMIL) - ensure constant interaction, coordination, and dialogue among civil and military actors
 NGO Liaison (UNJLC) - link between the NGOs and UN agencies
 Government Liaison (LRRRC) - permanent representation to ensure coordination between the humanitarian community and the Government of Liberia

 Humanitarian Information (HIC) - provides information products and services, including maps
 Security (UNSECOORD) - daily security-related updates

The points of contact at the HOC are as follows:

 General: Willy Peerens, Tel: + 377 47 530 434, E-mail: willy.peerens@wfp.org
 Logistics Coordination & Movement Control: Mervat Shelbaya, Tel: + 377 47 530 468, E-mail: Mervat.Shelbaya@wfp.org
 Civil-Military Coordination: Willy Peerens, Tel: + 377 47 530 434, E-mail: Willy.Peerens@wfp.org; Major Noel Duffy, Tel: + 377 47 532 516
 Security: Arve Skog, Tel: + 377 47 529 616, E-mail: arve.skog@undp.org
 Humanitarian Information: Paul Currion, Tel: + 377 47 530 374, E-mail: hic-me-01@un.org

The HOC is located on the ground floor of the WFP building. These are the opening hours: Mon-Fri: 08:30 - 18:00. Sat: 10:00 - 15:00.

The official inauguration ceremony for the HOC will be on 26 November and the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Abou Moussa, will preside.

8. CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

A ship chartered by UNMIL arrived in Monrovia on 17 November. It will be transporting cargo along the West African coast, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. Humanitarian cargo may be transported free of cost via this vessel upon request.  A Level 2 Hospital on board this ship will provide medical facilities. Points of contact for the 'Rotterdam' ship are:

Movcon officer - Kalyan Majumdar, Tel: + 377 47 532 204
Commander - Tim Timmerman, Tel: + 377 47 535 221
Captain - John Vander Dam, Tel: + 377 47 534461

The UNMIL Engineering section will be assisting in providing access to DDR camps located in Tubmanburg, the Shiffellin village (on the road to RIA) and the SOS Village (on theMonrovia - Buchanan road). Also, UNMIL is considering the repair of two wooden bridges in Greensville.

UNMIL Emergency Response HOTLINES:

Duty Officer HQ Sector 1: +377 47 530 173
Duty Officer HQ UNMIL :   +377 47 532 313

UNMIL Force Commander - Lieutenant General Opande, Kenya.

Sector 1 Commander - Brigadier General Festus Okonkwo, Nigeria.

Civil-Military Co-operations Officer - Capt Lapage: +377 47 532 516
                                                   Col Whobrey 

UN Civil-Military Co-ordination - Willy Peerens: +377 47 530 434

WFP Civil-Military Liaison - Albert Fiawosime: +377 47 530 209

UNHCR Civil-Military Liaison - Harry Leefe: +377 47 530 180

UNJLC Civil-Military Liaison - Oleksandr Grebenyuk: +377 47 532 378

9. FUEL (Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene) / COMMODITY PRICES

Duty-free fuel purchase for UN Agencies and NGOs is being worked by Rosemarie De Souza, Operations Officer, UNDP. She can be contacted at + 377 47 516 626. This service is being arranged with Gepco, LTD. 

A fuel consultant seconded to UNJLC will be arriving in Monrovia on 19 November to carry out a strategic assessment of the fuel situation within Liberia. 

The exchange rate to the USD $ increased from 43.00 on 11 November to LD $ 44 on 18 November.

10. LIBERIA UNJLC INTERNATIONAL STAFF

 David Pittfield: david.pittfield@wfp.org pittfield@hotmail.com Mobile: +377 47 530 093
 Peter Schaller: Monrovia.guest19@wfp.org Mobile: + 377 47 534 090
 Matthew Dee: matthew.dee@wfp.org, m_dee99@yahoo.com Mobile: +377 47 530 187
 Carole Harris: carole.harris@wfp.org Mobile: +377 47 530 092
 Victor Cole: victor.cole@wfp.org Mobile: +377 47 531 423
 Oleksandr Grebenyuk: oleksandr.grebenyuk@wfp.org Mobile: +377 47 532 378
 Mervat Shelbaya: mervat.shelbaya@wfp.org Mobile: + 377 47 534 468
 Farzana Rasheed: farzana.rasheed@wfp.org Mobile: +377 47 531458

UNJLC Offices are located on the ground floor of the WFP building, UN Drive, Mamba Point, Monrovia.

11. OTHER

The Executive Director of WFP, Mr. James Morris paid a one-day visit to WFP Liberia. The ED met with UNMIL senior staff, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yaya Nimley, and the Chairman of the National Transitional Government Mr. Gyude Bryant. While the government officials expressed gratitude for WFP continued assistance, the ED pledge to expand support for consolidation of peace and recovery and development of the country. The ED visited the Perry Town IDP camp and VOA refugee camp, both in Montserrado County.

Some commercial vehicles have started operating in previously inaccessible areas of northern and southeastern Liberia. These parts have been cut off from the rest of the country for months due to factional fighting. Taxi and mini-bus drivers have ventured into these areas due to increased patrolling by UNMIL peacekeepers.

ABOUT UNJLC
UNJLC is an inter-agency facility reporting, in the current emergency, to the Humanitarian Coordinator for Liberia, and overall to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Its mandate is to coordinate and optimise the logistics capabilities of humanitarian organisations in large-scale emergencies. UNJLC operates under the custodianship of WFP who are responsible for the administrative and financial management of the Centre. UNJLC is funded from voluntary contributions channelled through WFP. The UNJLC project document for Liberia can be viewed on the UNJLC website (www.unjlc.org).