01/29/2004

Although many NGOs are now operational and able to provide more services to the IDPS since RI traveled to Monrovia in November 2003, IDP camps are still overcrowded and services still lag behind those offered to refugees by UNHCR. In general, services are ad hoc and there are vast disparities in the services offered in the numerous IDP camps in Liberia. There is no lead agency responsible for IDPs in Liberia, but the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) provides coordination mechanisms for NGOs that provide services in the various camps. In Liberia, as well as in other countries with large numbers of IDPs, RI has found this collaborative approach to be problematic. Without a single agency designated to take overall responsibility for services and protection, support to IDPs is often lacking as individual agencies pursue their particular priorities.