NEED FOR COORDINATED RELIEF EFFORTS IN NATURAL DISASTER SITUATIONS IS EMPHASIZED IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL DISCUSSION

16 July 1998

Press Release
ECOSOC/5779

NEED FOR COORDINATED RELIEF EFFORTS IN NATURAL DISASTER SITUATIONS IS EMPHASIZED IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL DISCUSSION

19980716 Speakers Cite Lessons Learned from Afghanistan Earthquakes, Forest Fires in Indonesia, El Niño Floods in Peru, Other Emergencies

Lack of preparedness and coordination could contribute to the human toll in a natural catastrophe, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan told the Economic and Social Council this morning, as it continued its humanitarian affairs segment. The Council held a panel discussion on natural disasters with United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinators.

Addressing relief assistance efforts after the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan, Alfred Witschi-Cestari said it was well known which countries were the most disaster prone. If the international community was not prepared for a natural event, there would be a human drama. In Afghanistan, the international community had to overcome tremendous difficulties in order to reach the afflicted populations, but coordination had been established almost immediately after the facts were made clear.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator for Indonesia, Ravi Rajan, described the emergency response to the extensive forest fires that burned in country in the past year. He said the support of the Government and the international community facilitated the effective coordination of the response to the disaster. Yet, the scope and extent of the disaster was such that the combined efforts of all actors were not adequate to deal with it fully. Vulnerability to such disasters would only increase in the future, and thus the elaboration of prevention and preparedness strategies were necessary.

Addressing recent floods in Peru, that country's United Nations Resident Coordinator, Kim Bolduc, said that 1997-1998 phenomenon was considered as a "Mega Niño". El Niño was an atypical natural disaster due to its four to six months' duration. Other natural disasters tended to be violent, but shorter in length. In preparation for its arrival, the Peruvian Government had started prevention activities in early 1997, but the country still suffered enormous losses, and 600,000 people were directly affected. Future El Niños would be stronger and more devastating each time.

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Also this morning, the Council concluded its general discussion on special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

Several speakers stressed that a comprehensive approach and strategic frameworks for humanitarian assistance could yield results only if they were backed by adequate funding. Available resources had declined radically both in real terms and in programmes. In addition, the quantity of funding was often determined by political standing and media coverage. Humanitarian assistance should be neutral and not dictated by the media or political imperatives.

Statements were made by Republic of the Congo, Republic of Korea, Belarus, Mozambique, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Sudan, Malaysia, United Republic of Tanzania, South Africa, Peru, Viet Nam, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Democratic People's Republic of the Congo, and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The observer for the Holy See and a representative of Associazoni per il Servizio Internazionale also made statements.

The Committee meets again at 3 p.m. today for a discussion with country resident and humanitarian coordinators on the topic of natural disasters.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this morning to continue the humanitarian affairs segment of its four-week substantive session. It was scheduled to complete its general discussion on special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

The Council was then due to hold a discussion on natural disasters with the resident/humanitarian coordinators from Afghanistan, Angola, Indonesia and Peru. (For background information on the segment, see Press Release ECOSOC/5777 of 15 July.)

Statements

HENRI BLAISE GOTIENNE (Republic of the Congo) said that in the autumn of 1997 his country was a source of concern for the international community. But with international mediation and regional cooperation, it had been able to put an end to a devastating war. His Government now was concentrating on the special economic assistance it was entitled to enjoy after the conflict. Following the end of the war, the Government had convened a forum for reconciliation and unity. The forum, with the assistance of the international community, had helped to organize elections. The main priorities of the reform programme were improving and rebuilding the financial sector, rehabilitation of infrastructure, and protection of the environment. The Government had also liberalized the insurance market to encourage competition. Freeing the country from public enterprise was an essential component of the new economic strategy, and his Government would be finalizing the privatization of several services by September 1998.

In addition, his Government had established, as a priority within the 1998 budget, a pool of resources for the reopening of schools and hospitals throughout the country, he said. Efforts also should be made to ensure the restoration of security for people and goods and the rehabilitation and stabilization of the country's external debt. His Government was committed to liberalization, but the country was at a crossroads. He hoped that a minimum proportion of the defence budgets of developed countries would be diverted to official development assistance (ODA). Further liberalization without international solidarity would act only to marginalize the poor and weak in the country.

SUH DAE-WON, (Republic of Korea) said the United Nations system must be able to ensure support for developing countries by responding rapidly and effectively to situations that placed communities at risk. It had been seen in many cases that inadequate management of "eco-related" industries further exacerbated calamities. National governments must make structural efforts to improve their industrial management, especially in agriculture and forestry. Today, humanitarian assistance was facing dangerous obstacles in the field. The number and vulnerability of refugees was growing; they were often the targets or the cause of conflicts. Humanitarian workers were also becoming

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the victims of violence. It was clear that measures needed to be taken to assure adequate protection for them.

He said the relative lack of coordination of management had been a factor that undermined the effectiveness of humanitarian relief operations. More should be done to ensure adequate training of local staff in the details of a particular situation or event, and to develop a common code of conduct. Measures were also needed to heighten international awareness of humanitarian principles. The development of civil society and the strengthening of linkages with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were necessary in that regard. Humanitarian operations must be implemented through close cooperation with the parties concerned.

ALEG LAPTSENAK (Belarus) said his Government was concerned by the reduction in the volume of obligations assumed by donor countries in their response to consolidated appeals. This had occurred at a time when funding requirements had increased by $2 billion in the current year. In such a context, the United Nations was required to increase the efficiency of its humanitarian sector and improve the distribution and utilization of the resources available.

While there had been improvements in the coordination of humanitarian activities at field level, there were still situations of competitiveness between agencies, which reduced efficiency. A general strategy of humanitarian activities at field level should be developed with the participation of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. That strategy should form a procedure to assign resident coordinators, evaluate the efficiency of their work, and establish the framework of their authority.

The approach to the development and planning of humanitarian programmes should be altered, he said. The incorporation of development into United Nations humanitarian programmes could attract the attention of donor countries to the resources of international financial institutes and charitable organizations. At the same time, it was necessary to broaden cooperation among the governments of donor and recipient countries in order to assure the effective implementation of humanitarian projects and programmes.

CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique) said the challenge to humanitarian assistance was often not the lack of resources, but rather when and how to make the required assistance reach the people in need at the right time. Because of the unique features of each conflict, special and careful attention had to be given to the ways and means of providing humanitarian assistance and emergency relief. Recent experience in his country had shown that if coordination with all parties involved was not ensured, then overlapping and neglect of some areas or groups of people could occur in the process of relief assistance, rehabilitation, reconstruction and the bridging to development. Mozambique also believed that there was need to develop universally agreed

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standards for action which would allow greater coordination in the provision of assistance.

The role of regional organizations in humanitarian relief was of great relevance. In southern Africa, efforts were moving towards the harmonization of policies and procedures, as well as in establishing common mechanisms to deal with humanitarian activities. Another important issue was landmines. Grater attentions should be given to demining activities. Early ratification of the Ottawa Convention would be a significant step in the right direction.

YASHAR TEIMUR ALIYEV (Azerbaijan) said armed aggression by Armenia and its continued occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan had resulted in 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons in the country. Despite difficulties and limited financial resources, his Government was doing its utmost to meet the needs of those people. A high-level meeting had recently been held to determine what measures should be taken by the government structures to deal with the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons. The participants had discussed the issue of the most effective utilization of all available resources and humanitarian assistance tools by international organizations.

Despite existing funding constraints, tangible results had been recorded in the humanitarian field worldwide, he said. Those were the results of well- coordinated responses by the United Nations system with other international and non-governmental organizations, as well as close collaboration with donor governments, local authorities and civil society. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee established simple and coherent coordination structures at the field level and clear division of responsibilities, particularly in areas where responsibilities had not been clearly defined in the past.

The lack of resources for emergency programmes directly affected the beneficiaries, he said. It also led to the restriction in a number of important humanitarian and post-conflict rehabilitation programmes. Those programmes were extremely important for people affected by extended conflicts, where humanitarian assistance was one of the main elements for their survival.

NAVID HANIF (Pakistan) said that an effective response to humanitarian assistance should be characterized by four factors: timeliness; a comprehensive approach; adequate funding; and the ability to address the root causes. he Secretary-General's report was, therefore, a step in the right direction. The nature of humanitarian operations had undergone many changes. However, additional cooperation between the OCHA and the specialized agencies would enhance the efficacy of operations at field level. Strategic frameworks should be developed with an integrated planning approach that covered all sectors.

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A comprehensive approach and strategic frameworks could only yield results if they were backed by adequate funding, he said. Available resources had declined radically both in real terms and in programmes. Another disturbing trend was that the quantity of funding was usually determined by political standing and media coverage. Humanitarian assistance should be neutral and not dictated by the media or political imperatives. His delegation supported the Secretary-General's call for a review of funding for humanitarian programmes.

GEORGE PANIKULAM, observer for the Holy See, said the integral and authentic development of every human person was a priority for the church. It was part of its very existence and primary mission. That was why the church considered as its own the joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of the world, especially those who were poor and in any way afflicted. The needy in the world symbolized a wounded human society which required emergency assistance both to survive and to develop.

The international community should see emergency assistance and humanitarian aid as serious obligations of solidarity and as a solid contribution to peace, he said. The church tried to offer its humble contribution to solidarity in providing those in difficult circumstances with assistance in the fields of child care, education, health care and poverty eradication. In the next millennium, the church would hasten to reach out to people crying out for help, whoever and wherever they might be. There should be no boundaries to authentic solidarity when the dignity of the human person was in danger.

MUBARAK HUSSEIN RAHMTALLA (Sudan) said the Land and Life humanitarian operation in his country had often grappled with complex situations and had provided many instructive experiences. The people in the south had been hard- hit by war and required United Nations assistance. Aid, which was being transported to affected regions, had been seized by rebels and channelled directly to their own frontline units. That practice had shut out the civilian population -- the very people who were in dire need of such assistance. In addition, the rebels in the south had shot down a number of civilian aircraft carrying aid.

He said that the Land and Life initiative was in difficulties and substantial portions of aid had not been received between 1997 and 1998. In recent years, the specialized agencies had tried hard to address the situation, but donations had declined. Whereas his Government had favourably responded to United Nations appeals to initiate a ceasefire, bring about peace and institute humanitarian assistance, the same appeals had fallen on deaf ears on rebel side. He said his delegation expressed appreciation for the material and moral support of the international community. The Government's priority now was to ensure that the hard-hit people of the Sudan benefited in

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the present scenario where the main objective was the establishment of a lasting peace.

RASTAM MOHAMED ISA (Malaysia) said the downsizing of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) would inevitably require the prioritization of activities. It would also call for the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian affairs. However, that should not lead to a lack of resources which would, in turn, curtail the ability and effectiveness of the Office. Malaysia supported the focus given by the OCHA to its three core functions: policy development and coordination; advocacy of humanitarian issues; and coordination of humanitarian response. His Government also welcomed the streamlining of the functions of the various offices of the United Nations agencies, with the OCHA as the focal point for the exchange of information and coordination of the Organization's response to humanitarian situations.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee should continue to work towards achieving more coherent coordination at the field level by promoting a clear division of responsibilities and accountability, he said. The Committee should continue to work towards reducing inter-agency competitiveness in the field. His Government was concerned by the declining level of contributions from donors for humanitarian assistance in the past year. Member States should seriously consider undertaking a comprehensive review of the funding of humanitarian programmes. In addition, the international community and the United Nations needed to address natural disasters and environmental emergencies.

DAUDI N. MWAKAWAGO (United Republic of Tanzania) said that where there was no economic development the likelihood of humanitarian problems was greater. A sound economy provided a good cushion for addressing humanitarian disasters, whether they were man-made or natural. Strengthening the coordination of humanitarian activities should be on a broader canvas that linked economy, human development and relief. Most humanitarian action occurred in the developing countries, and particularly in Africa. It was therefore important that greater focus be directed to the economic well-being of the people and countries of Africa and the rest of the developing world.

While a well-coordinated programme produced savings in the long-term, it was also true that there was maximization in the utilization of the individual actors. Having stated the established importance of coordination, he said the question of resources was the other side of the coin. There was a close linkage between addressing the development needs of people as well as the humanitarian concerns. A healthy balance was needed.

MATHE DISEKO (South Africa) said the reform measures undertaken to strengthen emergency relief coordination had been timely and essential. Still, the United Nations continued to face serious humanitarian challenges.

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Bodies of the United Nations must work closely together, and in cooperation with the Member States and civil society. For OCHA to perform well, it must enjoy the total support and commitment of all the humanitarian agencies.

The international community should emphasize development as a key to solving human crises, he said. Accountability and training could be improved by coordination structures at the field level. Increased preparedness at country and regional levels was needed to better deal with environmental emergencies. Closing the gap between United Nations humanitarian relief activities represented the only viable prospect for a longer-term solution.

DAUL MATUTE (Peru) said that the issue of humanitarian affairs in his country was a top priority since it had a direct impact on national development expectations. The El Niño phenomenon and the problem of displaced persons were two key issues. The El Niño southern oscillation had devastated his region. Women, children and the aged had been affected due to El Niño's destruction of homes and the resulting spread of diseases. At the first sign of that phenomenon, the Peruvian Government had worked at prevention, mitigation and repair. All of the preventive work, however, was surpassed by the gravity of damage. Last year, appeals for international support had been made by Peru, along with a recommendation to the General Assembly to address El Niño as a global initiative.

Displaced persons in his country had a direct bearing on Peru's sustainable development, he said. Terrorist violence had resulted in forced migration. Efforts were under way to establish social structures and facilitate safe return. In those endeavours, transportation, safety, security and schooling were priorities.

LE LUONG MINH (Viet Nam) said his Government supported efforts aimed at achieving a more coherent coordination structure at the field level. It was important to maintain a clear distribution of responsibilities among relevant agencies. Avoiding overlapping was always an essential condition to ensure the effectiveness and the economy of United Nations development and humanitarian activities. Viet Nam attached great importance to the organic relationship between development and capacity-building for nations to cope with emergency situations. Countries could not develop if they were not able to cope effectively and overcome such situations.

Viet Nam also was deeply concerned about the decline of the international response to appeals for humanitarian assistance, he said. That was particularly disturbing in the context of increasingly complex humanitarian situations, especially the emergence of devastating natural phenomena such as El Niño. The international community should be alarmed by the drop in the average response to the consolidated appeals and the continued decline of official development assistance (ODA). Only genuine humanitarianism could succeed in resolving humanitarian issues, including the

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delivery of needed assistance. In that context, his Government reaffirmed its support for the principle of respect for national sovereignty.

KIM CHANG GUK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) said his Government had been receiving humanitarian assistance following the natural disasters of recent years. Despite the efforts of the international community, natural disasters and armed conflicts continued to cause humanitarian suffering on a large scale.

The amount of assistance supplied by donors continued to decline compared with previous years, he said. As of May, only 15 per cent of consolidated appeals for assistance had been met. That was a deplorable phenomenon that could not be justified from a humanitarian perspective. Emergency humanitarian assistance should be provided to meet humanitarian needs in conformity with the principles of the Charter. Assistance should be given without discrimination and irrespective of political factors or mass media reportage.

Humanitarian assistance should not be used as a means of economic or political coercion, he said. The OCHA, as well as the funds and programmes, should take effective measures to improve the coordination. The division of labour between the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly in emergency humanitarian assistance programmes should be clearly delineated.

SEYED MEHDI MIR AFZAL (Iran) said a simpler and more coherent coordination structure with better collaboration at the field level could promote accountability of humanitarian services. It was regrettable that international response to appeals for humanitarian assistance had declined, in both absolute and relative terms. There was an extremely serious gap between humanitarian needs and available resources, which was widening year by year.

Any framework for common programming should include explicit linkages between international relief efforts and the Government's own priorities and initiatives, and should ensure predictability of resources. Iran was one of the 20 most disaster-prone countries in the world. The United Nations system could assist developing countries in establishing early warning systems, mitigation, preparedness, relief, rehabilitation, as well as in developing areas stricken by natural disasters.

Also, the issue of refugees in the developing world needed special attention. The impact of displaced persons had serious negative effects on the socio-economic development and environment of host countries. Efforts by those countries to face challenges should be supported by the international community.

BAMIALY WAWA (Democratic People's Republic of the Congo) said his Government was concerned about the lack of action taken to implement the

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provisions of Assembly resolution 49/24. That text concerned assistance to the host countries of refugees and displaced populations. In one week during June 1994, the Democratic People's Republic of the Congo welcomed almost 2 million refugees to its territory. Regarding emergency relief, he called on the United Nations to show more of an interest in establishing a strategic emergency relief mechanism to expand rapid response capability in Africa. That should be pursued while more effective ways of dealing with processes were being considered.

VASKO GRKOV (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said progress had been made in the coordination of humanitarian activities; all United Nations bodies and other international organizations had agreed to strengthen coordination. The Economic and Social Council's deliberations on the subject should enhance action to support those efforts. In that context, it was important to encourage the Secretary-General's efforts to reform the secretariat.

In spite of ongoing efforts, the reduction of resources for humanitarian activities had not been solved satisfactorily, he said. For many years, humanitarian assistance had provided for the survival of many children and elderly. His Government was in favour of undertaking all necessary measures to increase humanitarian activities. The Council should give priority to resource mobilization. In addition, the Council should consider humanitarian assistance in an interdependent manner, taking into account the prevention of conflicts, promotion of development and direct investment, as well as other closely connected humanitarian activities.

EZIO CASTELLI, Associazione Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale, said that humanitarian assistance could not be conceived and implemented separately from human rights protection and promotion, conflict prevention and management. It should be within a comprehensive framework with simultaneous implementation.

It was necessary for there to be an equality of approach among refugees, internally displaced peoples and host peoples with regard to needs, rights and responsibilities. He advocated strengthening the resources available to both nationals and refugees. He also recommended reinforcing individual resources and building the internal capacity of all nations, beginning with the consolidated appeals process.

He said there should be greater efforts in the peaceful resolution of conflict, which severely affected citizens, especially children, and led to the creation of more refugees and internally displaced people. There was also need for the provision of skills and training for those working with children in conflict areas. The focus should be on helping children to learn additional skills and alternatives to violence.

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Panel Discussion

ALFREDO WITSCHI-CESTARI, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said the international community really tried to reply to the needs in the country following the two earthquakes earlier in the year. It had to overcome tremendous difficulties in order to reach the afflicted populations. Coordination was immediate, once the facts about the disaster were clear. There were three coordinating bases in the region, in addition to field coordination. After three or four weeks, the agencies were in control of the situation and able to respond adequately. Donor response was sufficient, with more than $2.5 million raised.

When the second earthquake occurred in May, the agencies knew what to do, he said. Both the Red Cross movement and the United Nations, as well as NGOs, applied to the new disaster lessons learned from the relief programme in February. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations and NGOs were at the site of the second earthquake 24 hours after it hit. Responsibilities were shared according to the expertise of the agencies. The ICRC took care of health, and the World Food Programme (WFP) addressed food needs. Donors were represented in the daily coordination meetings, and the situation was under control within three weeks.

It was well known which countries were the most disaster-prone, he said. If the international community was not prepared for a natural event, there would be a human drama. A catastrophe that took a human toll was caused by a lack of preparedness and coordination.

RAVI RAJAN, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Indonesia, said the extensive forest fires that occurred in the country in the past year were among the greatest of their kind in recorded history. Almost 2 million hectares burned, and it was estimated that the economic costs might well exceed $4 billion. The resulting air pollution affected commerce and operations in neighbouring countries. There were various environmental and ecological factors responsible for the widespread fires. Large-scale land- clearing for agricultural cultivation might well have introduced the conditions for such fires.

With the delay in the arrival of wet season and the failure to recognize the weather pattern, the fires began to spread, he said. When they spread uncontrollably, a state of emergency was called, and the emergency relief efforts went into action almost immediately. International assistance was mobilized and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs swiftly assembled a team. It provided significant support to the national counterparts. Team members covered fire-fighting expertise, as well as coordination and medical advice. The members of the team, joined by government workers, carried out five different missions in the affected regions. A technical task force on fire-

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fighting successfully produced agreed-upon specifics for equipment, and helped to finalize training requirements.

The support of the Government and the international community facilitated the effective coordination of the response to the natural disaster in Indonesia, he said. It should be recognized that national efforts far exceeded those of the international community, and there also was a large-scale local community and grass-roots participation. The scope and extent of the disaster was such that the combined efforts of all actors were not adequate to deal with it fully. Nature had to come to the rescue, and when the rains came the fires were extinguished, albeit late in the crisis.

Vulnerability to such a disaster would increase in the future, and, therefore, preparedness was necessary, he said. A prevention and preparedness programme should include, among other items, institutional strengthening, community awareness, and human resource development. The United Nations agencies hoped to support the Government's efforts to fully implement such a strategy.

KIM BOLDUC, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Peru, said that in some ways El Niño was an atypical natural disaster, because of its four to six months' duration. Other natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcano eruptions tended to be violent, but shorter in time. The 1997 to 1998 phenomenon was considered as a "Mega Niño". In preparation for its arrival, the Government of Peru began prevention activities in early 1997, implementing gigantic civil works to protect key infrastructures, evacuating 11,000 people to safer areas, and stockpiling food for distribution during the emergency, as well as a large reserve of fuel stored in key areas in the country.

In spite of those efforts, the country still suffered enormous losses, and 600,000 people were directly affected by the disaster. One of the many lessons learned was that the El Niños of the future would be stronger and more devastating each time.

She said the Resident Coordinator and the United Nations system had become involved earlier in the prevention phase. A prevention plan was established jointly and specific activities entrusted to each agency according to its mandate and area of intervention. At the relief phases, while the Government of Peru did not appeal for international emergency assistance, the United Nations coordination mechanisms were activated and functioned throughout the emergency phase. The Government disbursed around $175 million from national funds and loans from multilateral banks during the relief phase. Other bilateral NGOs and private contributions amounted to approximately $20 million, while donations channelled through the OCHA came to around half a million dollars.

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She said the reconstruction cost was estimated at $1 billion, mainly in terms of infrastructures destroyed or damaged. The other costs were still being assessed. For disaster-prone countries like Peru, it would be desirable to build into the National Disaster Preparedness Strategy, the emergency response mechanisms of the United Nations system, so as to facilitate its activation and to achieve a more structured response. That would also include the improvement of the national early warning systems where several of the Organization's agencies could contribute with their extended experience in that field.

ALYAKSANDR SYCHOU (Belarus), Vice-President of the Council, said, given the late hour, the discussion would continue in the afternoon. At that time, the resident and humanitarian coordinators would respond to the questions and comments of Member States.

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