On Wednesday, the UNchildren's agency airliftedfivetonsofsupplies to the town of Baidoa in Lower Shabelle. The supplies includedfood, medicineandwatercleaningequipment.
Also honoured with the UN amabassadorial post are jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nobel medicine prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini, actress Gina Lollobrigida and South African singer Miriam Makeba.
In the meantime, the UN does allow Iraq to export oil to pay for imports of food and medicine (an arrangement known as oil-for-food), although it keeps control of the finances.