United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will dispatch U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator John Holmes to Myanmar in the next five to six days, the organization confirmed Thursday. Ban's spokeswoman Michele Montas said Holmes will focus on sending aid to victims of the violent cyclone that has left tens of thousands dead in the Asian country. Montas also confirmed Ban's approval for the U.N. Staff Union to raise funds for the victims of Cyclone Nargis at the U.N. Ban on Wednesday proposed three initiatives to aid the post-Cyclone Nargis victims. Ban had discussed the possibility of sending Holmes to Myanmar following his meeting with key donors and members of the Association of South East Asian Nation countries (ASEAN) on Wednesday. At that time, Ban proposed sending Holmes to Myanmar with a World Food Program airplane carrying humanitarian assistance. Ban in his meeting discussed “designating a U.N./ASEAN join humanitarian coordinator, establishing a logistical hub outside Myanmar and also holding a high-level pledging conference. Ban's spokesperson Ferhan Haq told the Saudi Press Agency that the “logistical hub” would be used “to get aid directly to the people” in Myanmar and added that these initiatives are still under discussion. The Secretary-General said he will meet with ASEAN Foreign Ministers on 19 May in Singapore to follow up on these proposals, Haq said. World Food Program (WFP) spokeswoman Bettina Leuscher told S.P.A. that the WFP will be sending a small boat into Myanmar to access affected areas very soon. Leuscher said that the WFP has only reached 20% of the 750,000 people they are assisting in Myanmar. At the moment, she said there are 230 staff members from various U.N. agencies on the ground. Leuscher added that the WFP is enlisting in the help of trucking companies in the country to hold five metric tons of food aid each since the bridges are very small and since they are not allowed to bring in their own equipment.
