UN relief chief to assess typhoon recovery efforts in Phl

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - The UN under-secretary- general for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, is scheduled to begin a two-day visit to the Philippines this week to assess the effect of response nearly four months since Typhoon Haiyan struck the island country, said a UN spokesman here yesterday.

"During her visit, she will meet with government representatives and humanitarian partners, and she plans to travel to the hard-hit areas of Guiuan and Tacloban," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said at a daily news briefing here. "Despite progress made in the government-led relief operation, millions of people still require urgent assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods."

Amos visited the Philippines twice last November to see the impact of the disaster and to ensure adequate support for humanitarian assistance.

Typhoon Haiyan has left 5,632 people dead in the Philippines, with some 14 million others being impacted, according to the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.