The main focus of the UN System will be on the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the population-especially women and children-many of whom have not as yet been reached by the overall relief effort. By working mainly through women's organisations in the local communities, the two priority focus areas-promoting gender equality and strengthening decentralisation-identified in consultation with the government for the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), will also be addressed.

The UN System has identified the following programmes for the short and medium term:

Health: The focal organisation, WHO, and the cooperating organisations, UNICEF and UNFPA, will undertake disease surveillance and early warning exercises for epidemics; public health and health sector coordination, hospital and health centre safety assessment and rehabilitation.

Food and nutrition: The focal organisation, WFP, and cooperating organisations, UNICEF, WHO and FAO, will conduct an emergency food and aid programme to provide food assistance from extended delivery points to distribution centres for 28,000 people.

Education and child protection: UNICEF will establish temporary school facilities, or support minor repair to lightly damaged facilities, as a means of restarting education and reducing their possible involvement in child labour; provide children with learning materials (textbooks, pencils), teachers with teaching supplies, and schools with basic equipment such as blackboards; work to identify unaccompanied children and help ensure their proper care; provide training in trauma counseling to teachers and social service workers to help reduce the number of children and families who are suffering from trauma, and support the revitalisation of anganwadi social service centres.

Shelter and survival:The focal organisation, UNDP, and cooperating organisations UNCHS/Habitat, UNICEF and UNV, will provide immediate assistance through shelter material to cover the needs of the homeless population in the most heavily affected areas; conduct a more in-depth assessment of the actual damage to housing; establish roaming teams to assist the self-help earthquake resistant building processes; provide family survival kits, including cooking utensils, soaps, towels and blankets, lanterns and candles to 50,000 families.

Water and sanitation: UNICEF and WHO will supply potable water to affected communities, including tanker supplies, disinfection and purification of household drinking water; accelerate the minor repair and maintenance of existing, damaged, water supply systems; increase sanitation coverage for the affected communities to ensure the safe disposal of excreta and minimise the risk of disease, and ensure safe water and sanitation.

Livelihood: The focal organisation, UNDP, and the cooperating organisations, ILO, UNFPA and UNV, will provide integrated livelihood restoration programmes in the Kutch and Patan districts, encompassing earthquake- resistant traditional shelter for immediate and medium-term needs; assistance to immediate livelihood needs through support to existing women's groups; immediate support on food security; support to affected children, and support to drought-proofing coordination in Bhuj.

The UN response will not end with the relief phase but will continue through to the long-term recovery process and is designed to reduce future vulnerability. Wherever possible, the programmes will be people centred and will adopt an inter-organistion, multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach.