ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL DISCUSSES POST-CONFLICT HUMANITARIAN AID

Press Release
ECOSOC/5728

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL DISCUSSES POST-CONFLICT HUMANITARIAN AID

GENEVA, 17 July (UN Information Service) -- The Economic and Social Council this morning discussed the question of special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance. Several speakers noted that what was termed "post-conflict reconstruction" was a complicated and broad-based task requiring attention to far more than the repairing of infrastructure and re-starting of economies.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, introducing the topic, said demands for humanitarian help continued to grow and reforms were in place to make the process more efficient. However, the primary focus must remain firmly on the victims; coordination should not represent "another bureaucratic layer". He added that one of the most difficult and demoralizing problems faced was "the blatant contempt of many warring groups for the most fundamental of human values".

A representative of the World Bank said that a newly adopted policy for helping countries emerging from conflicts called for the following elements: jump-starting economies; re-establishing governance; repairing important physical infrastructure; rebuilding and maintaining key social infrastructure; targeting assistance to the war-affected; supporting land-mine action programmes; and normalizing financial borrowing arrangements.

A number of delegations referred to the reform package unveiled on 16 July by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, including the proposal to replace the Department of Humanitarian Affairs with an Office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator. Officials of both Canada and the United States urged that there be clear lines of authority between the Coordinator and the delivery mechanisms of humanitarian agencies. A representative of the Russian Federation remarked that reforms, both those under way and those proposed, should not only look good on paper but work in practice. The representatives of Jamaica and Bangladesh deplored a lack of attention in the relevant report to proposals for improving responses to natural disasters.

The Council also heard introduction of draft resolutions on proclamation of the year 2000 as, respectively, the international year of mountains, of Thanksgiving, and of "the culture of peace".

Statements were made by representatives of Luxembourg (on behalf of the European Union), the World Bank, Canada, United States, the World Food Programme (WFP), Russian Federation, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Australia, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Iran, Jamaica and Bangladesh.

Special Economic, Humanitarian, Disaster Relief Assistance

The Council considered a report of the Secretary-General on a review of the capacity of the United Nations system for humanitarian assistance (document E/1997/98). The report concludes that providing humanitarian assistance in today's crisis zones demands not only an efficient relief delivery system, but a capacity to protect vulnerable populations in order for them to survive in a hostile environment. It also requires the capacity to avoid becoming a substitute for the action necessary to eradicate the roots of conflict. Humanitarian action faces levels of abuse, distortion and cynicism.

The review of the United Nations relief system was timely and should endeavour to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system to tackle the causes, as well as the consequences, of crises, the report states. Improved capacity to respond to humanitarian needs also depends on the commitment of Member States to deal with the problems which generate upheaval and political turmoil. Greater attention and resources need to be made available to develop a deeper understanding of crises.

The Council this morning asked the Secretary-General to submit a further report on this topic. It also discussed proposals presented by the Secretary- General on 16 July, and in particular that to replace the Department of Humanitarian Affairs with an Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The Council also considered a report of the Secretary-General on assistance for the reconstruction and development of Lebanon (document E/1997/96), which reviews the situation in that country between July 1996 and June 1997. The report notes that the operating environment for national recovery and development activities was more difficult because of events in southern Lebanon, compounded by the effects of the deadlocked regional peace process. Economic activity in 1996 was characterized by a marked slowdown, notwithstanding the efforts of the national authorities to modernize financial and economic legislation to encourage investment in Lebanon and to open international markets to Lebanese exports.

The report goes on to say that in the social sectors, reform programmes continued with a view to establishing more effective and efficient health-care and education systems. The planning and implementation of national reconstruction and development has continued. The scope and volume of United Nations system activities increased by around 25 per cent in 1996 to just under $20 million. This represented a modest contribution, well below 10

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percent, of the overall development assistance effort. "The international community has given a clear signal it will support Lebanon and the reconstruction process", the document concludes.

Statements

YASUSHI AKASHI, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said the international community continued to witness crises and conflicts requiring assistance for millions of displaced and war-affected people. Old crises continued or reappeared, and new ones erupted. Humanitarian agencies had done their utmost.

Reforms were under way, Mr. Akashi said. During the past 18 months, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee had gone through an unprecedented effort to address the indicative list of issues contained in resolution 1995/56, with complementary discussions taking place in the governing bodies of the operational organizations. The Standing Committee considered the issues of coordination, resource mobilization, internally displaced persons, evaluation, strengthening of local capacity, relief and development linkages, and staff development. It agreed on a set of suggestions to strengthen the system's response to emergencies and its move towards a more strategic approach to humanitarian assistance.

The humanitarian dimension had to be kept at the forefront, Mr. Akashi said. That meant putting victims first, being serious about prevention, tackling root causes and finding durable solutions. Coordination was not and should not be another bureaucratic layer.

One of the most difficult and demoralizing problems confronting work in the field was the blatant contempt of many warring groups for the most fundamental of human values, he said. Relief workers were engaged in difficult and often dangerous work, and all agencies carrying out such work were learning the hard way that assistance could easily become a tool of war. He paid tribute to the national and international humanitarian relief personnel who had lost their lives in pursuit of humanitarian ideals.

JEAN GRAFF (Luxembourg), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that over the past three years, the number and complexity of humanitarian actions had increased significantly. Many were in the context of an unstable political environment, and it was of overriding importance that humanitarian workers remain impartial and be backed by political action. The European Union was concerned about worsened security for humanitarian personnel and called on all concerned to respect international humanitarian law.

Furthermore, it was extremely important that humanitarian assistance be provided effectively in the field, he said. That required coordination between field workers and headquarters. Also, coordination mechanisms had to

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maintain their credibility and effectiveness. The European Union appreciated that a significant part of humanitarian assistance came from non-governmental organizations. He reiterated its commitment to support humanitarian operations carried out by the United Nations system and other major actors.

ALFREDO STEIR-YOUNIS, of the World Bank, said the Bank had excellent cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Staff from the two agencies communicated frequently on policy and other issues relevant to post-conflict reconstruction and humanitarian aid. The Bank recently had adopted a policy paper entitled, "A Framework for World Bank Involvement in Post-Conflict Reconstruction". In recent years, operations in countries emerging from conflict had become a significant portion of the Bank's portfolio.

He said there was still much to learn, but it was already apparent that rebuilding infrastructure was not enough. The policy paper implied providing reconstruction assistance in a package, which would include the following: jump-starting the economy concerned; re-establishing governance; repairing important physical infrastructure; rebuilding and maintaining key social infrastructure; targeting assistance to the war-affected; supporting land-mine action programmes; and normalizing financial borrowing arrangements.

ANDREW McALISTER (Canada) said there should be clearer lines of authority between the Emergency Relief Coordinator proposed by the Secretary-General and the delivery mechanisms of the humanitarian agencies. The office of the Coordinator needed to be equipped with an efficient support structure in Geneva, while maintaining a strong but streamlined New York presence. It also had to be able to rely on a predictable source of funding from the regular budget. Greater coordination and clearer allocation of responsibilities should permit improved accountability to both the donors and the recipients of assistance. Consideration should be given to establishing a governing board for humanitarian issues, with the purpose of providing policy guidance and assessing the performance of the system. There remained a number of gaps in the system, and one area which Canada considered to be of critical importance was the growing number of internally displaced persons who had no satisfactory arrangements for assistance and protection.

MELINDA L. KIMBLE (United States) said the subject was being discussed only one day after the Secretary-General had submitted his proposals for reform, which represented an important and constructive package. In the humanitarian area, it was important that the proposed reforms lead to effectiveness in the provision of assistance, strong advocacy for human rights, impartiality, and support for improved governance. Meanwhile, reform efforts already undertaken at the request of the Council must continue. Attention was required, among other things, to assigning responsibility for assistance to internally displaced persons.

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The status quo of humanitarian projects in this field was not acceptable, she said. Funding should be much more stable and coordination should be improved. The Department of Humanitarian Affairs should not be resurrected in a different form. The Emergency ReLief Coordinator should play a comprehensive role in making sure efforts were efficient and effective, and should travel frequently to the field to gain a clear idea of how operations were proceeding.

JEAN JACQUES GRAISSE, of the WFP, said the agency was a major provider of humanitarian assistance in all complex emergencies. Its relief operations targeted 25 million beneficiaries in 42 countries. As for coordination with other agencies, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee had been valuable in fostering common humanitarian policies, but its role and capacity should be enhanced. It required administrative and substantive support, as well as commitment and accountability of its members to its decisions. However, more regular consultation between the Emergency Coordinator and the Committee members was required. Decisions should be adopted by consensus whenever possible.

S. TECHEUMAREV (Russian Federation) said that with tight resources the United Nations should focus on activities where it had comparative advantage. One such area was in response to crises, including efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, peace-keeping, encouraging good governance, and the like. It was important to strengthen the position of the Emergency Relief Coordinator to ensure that the Security Council could take an integrated approach in its work. The Coordinator should have his neutral status preserved so that his humanitarian functions would not be blocked or misconstrued. Proposed reforms should not just look good on paper, but should work in practice. Efforts should be pooled to improve the potential of the Standing Committee.

RAFEEUDDIN AHMED, Associate Administrator of the UNDP, said there was agreement that a strategic approach to humanitarian assistance had to be adopted to provide relief and development within situations of crisis and disaster. There was also a need for improved approaches to the provision of holistic and coherent assistance, recognizing that relief assistance should not substitute for either development or political action. The mobilization and deployment of resources available to the United Nations system had to be undertaken in the context of that strategic approach.

The UNDP was committed to working with the Emergency Relief Coordinator to ensure that resources which enabled complementary and mutually reinforcing relief and development action were sought through an expansion of the present field-based Inter-agency Consolidated Appeal Process. There was agreement to establish arrangements for a unitary approach to coordination of relief and development at the country-level, based upon the resident coordinator system.

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Mr. Ahmed said that in addition to this coordination, within UNDP, the approach to funding and programming mechanisms had been revised. The Programme had designed and was implementing an internal reform strategy, had strengthened its ability to support the resident coordinator system, had developed new operational partnerships with different organizations for coherent action, and had sharpened the development focus on factors contributing to crisis. The basic framework had been laid out, but much more work was required to take the process to conclusion. Arrangements were still needed to address the requirements of internally displaced persons, as well as the question of demobilization, re-integration of ex-combatants, and mine action strategies.

WALTER GYGER (Switzerland) said the system, to be effective, had to ensure that humanitarian partners coordinated in an optimum way, as well as impartially. It also had to cooperate effectively with other relevant agencies outside the United Nations. Humanitarian action must be subjected to no consideration outside the victims' needs. It could not replace political action. At best, it could only serve as a complement to such action. The Secretary-General's new reform plan sounded encouraging. The office of an Emergency Relief Coordinator and the strengthening of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee must be enacted vigorously. A governing board perhaps should be created to allow to interested States to participate in elaboration of general directives in the field of humanitarian action.

TAKASHI KOEZUKA (Japan) said the Secretary-General's report on the capacity of the United Nations system for humanitarian assistance should have included options, proposals and recommendations for strengthening the capacity of the system, even though it was understandable that it had concentrated upon analyses and findings. On the other hand, the report dealt not only with coordination that was closely related to United Nations reform, but also with other important issues such as early warning, relief and development, resource mobilization, and security. Japan would also study closely the report of the Secretary-General on United Nations reform.

T. CHRISTIAN HILDAN (Norway) said the country could have hoped for more far-reaching proposals from the Secretary-General, but would offer comments later, after further study. Meanwhile, the reform process already under way in the field of humanitarian response was not finished. The proposed restructuring of this system further elaborated yesterday appeared interesting, but what counted were performance and achievements. Norway felt that a predictable source of funding for the Emergency Relief Coordinator's office should be ensured, that coordination should be improved with operations in the field, and that precise recommendations should be developed for response to the needs of the internally displaced.

JOHN CAMPBELL (Australia) said he looked forward to an active debate in the General Assembly on the proposed United Nations reforms. Reforms for

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humanitarian operations were welcome if they would provide more aid to those in need. The tragedy of the Great Lakes region of Africa showed that humanitarian action was no substitute for political action. The United Nations had the capacity to address both types of action.

EDOUARD DECAZES, of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, said the Order, in pursuit of its centuries' old ideal of helping the needy in whatever circumstances, had -- especially in recent years -- been able to acquire valuable expert knowledge in emergency aid and disaster-relief missions. Because of that experience, it had recently established a multinational disaster-relief effort, the Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta. That body grouped emergency structures of the German, Austrian, Belgian, French, Italian, Irish, Netherlands, and Swiss Associations of the Sovereign Order. The Corps, once in action, sent a rapid deployment team to the relevant disaster zone to establish a basic primary health-care centre. That was followed by a main relief group which, as the occasion demanded, provided such aid as mobile ambulance units, detached medical units, kitchen and food supply units, housing units, and water purification units. In most of its operations, the Corps worked closely with other international agencies.

BOZORGMEHR YIARAN (Iran) said the increase in the frequency of natural disasters necessitated the strengthening of the capacity to address the challenges they raised. There was a need for a holistic approach to international humanitarian assistance. At the same time, such international humanitarian assistance needed to be streamlined, effective, coordinated and development oriented.

DAVID PRENDERGAST (Jamaica) said the Standing Committee had played a useful and timely role. However, it was disappointing that the report before the Council had not dealt with natural disasters. Jamaica was prone to natural disasters, especially hurricanes, and saw much utility in greater efforts by the United Nations towards prevention of natural disasters and towards improving response to them.

A.K. CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said the issue of humanitarian relief for natural disasters needed to be reflected adequately in future reports. The reference to humanitarian relief in the Secretary-General's study (document E/1997/98) was only interim. It did not address institutional issues. The Council should request a further report.

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