The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) yesterday made an unprecedented appeal for help in improving her agency's technological capacity. Good, efficient, accessible telecommunications were a key element of operations and an essential tool to protect refugees and staff working with them in remote and dangerous areas around the globe, Ms. Sadako Ogata told industry leaders at a seminar in Geneva. Humanitarian and refugee programmes needed professional and dedicated backing, including state-of-the-art support in communications and information technology, said Ms. Ogata. Citing the speed and size of forced population movements, such as the one in Kosovo, she said the agency's traditional information, communication and refugee registration systems were under incredible strain. The High Commissioner appealed for communication equipment, such as satellite phones, VHF and HF radios, especially wireless telephony, data transmission equipment and better and cheaper access to satellite links. It also needed more access to the Internet to raise awareness and promote a better image of refugees, particularly in Europe. The agency was prepared to enter into standby arrangements with telecommunications companies that could help in large-scale emergencies, said Ms. Ogata. (Source : UN News 14/10/99)        Contact: Axel Plathe, UNESCO, Information and Informatics Division