SINGLE UNITED NATIONS AGENCY FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IS SUGGESTED TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

16 July 1998

Press Release
ECOSOC/5780

SINGLE UNITED NATIONS AGENCY FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IS SUGGESTED TO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

19980716 Humanitarian Affairs Debate Includes Situation Reports On Burundi, Angola, Sierra Leone, Georgia and Afghanistan

The United Nations should give a specific agency the overall responsibility for internally displaced persons, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Burundi proposed to the Economic and Social Council this afternoon, as it concluded its humanitarian affairs segment. The Council held a panel discussion on complex emergencies with United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinators.

Regarding the situation in Burundi, Kathleen Cravero-Kristoffersson, said the role of the humanitarian community was to assist governments to respond to the needs of internally displaced persons. But agencies should not attempt to replace government coordination or absolve authorities of their responsibility in relation with those people, except in cases where no alternative existed.

A greater level of awareness should be encouraged among the staff working in complex emergencies, said the Humanitarian Coordinator for Angola, Francesco Strippoli. The United Nations should advocate a formalized relationship between the humanitarian community and peacekeeping operations. Operational organizations should be invited into the political and military sectors as often as possible. Experience in Angola showed that the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) should avoid pulling out quickly from emergency situations until peace appeared virtually irreversible.

The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sierra Leone, Elizabeth Lwanga, said insecurity continued to be the greatest constraint on humanitarian assistance in the country. It had created obstacles in reaching internally displaced persons and attaining accurate knowledge of the situation. The development of emergency assistance programmes had highlighted the importance of creating effective support for governments in order to ensure coordination. In addition, there should be a balance between relief efforts and measures to resolve the conflict.

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The "weak state" scenario was the situation confronting the international community in Georgia, said that country's Humanitarian Coordinator, Marco Borsotti. The international community should not push humanitarian interests aside even in complex political situations. Life-saving aid should be provided to civilians in need, irrespective of politics. Relief agencies providing such aid must remain mindful that they could be used for political leverage by de facto authorities and should try to avoid, or at least to minimize, that.

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Alfredo Witschi-Cestari, reminded the Council that peace would be built by the Afghans and not by the international community. The latter had to focus their help on those peoples. No skilled Afghans remained in the country, and 20 million people had been affected by the conflict. While there were still some 4 million refugees and internally displaced persons, there were also 500,000 people who belonged to households headed by widows.

Also this afternoon, the Council concluded a dialogue on natural disasters with the coordinators from Afghanistan, Indonesia and Peru.

In closing remarks, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Vieira de Mello, said he was determined to develop new rules and procedures to respond to complex emergencies and natural disasters. In addition, he would also soon establish a focal point for internally displaced persons in the OCHA.

The representatives of the Sudan and Uganda spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, 17 July, to begin consideration of the coordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies and other bodies of the United Nations system.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to conclude the humanitarian affairs segment of its four-week substantive session. It was scheduled to complete a dialogue on natural disasters with the resident/humanitarian coordinators from Afghanistan, Indonesia and Peru.

Following the completion of that dialogue, the Council was scheduled to hold a panel discussion on complex emergencies with resident/humanitarian coordinators from Afghanistan, Burundi, Georgia and Sierra Leone. (For background information on the segment, see Press Release ECOSOC/5777 of 15 July.)

Exchange of Views -- Panel on Natural Disasters

ALFREDO WITSCHI-CESTARI, United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan, said efforts to address a small disaster in that country showed the capacity of the United Nations system to work hand in hand.

RAVI RAJAN, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Indonesia, said efforts to disseminate information on the experience gained during disaster relief efforts in Indonesia were under way. Ministers of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) were trying to come up with a regional action plan that would address preparedness for future problems. There were also efforts to establish cost estimates for putting out forest fires. Obviously, prevention of fires was still the preferable alternative.

KIM BOLDUC, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Peru, said in the past years many countries that were disaster-prone had advanced their understanding of disaster strategies. The most important achievement was the increased level of preparation by the population.

To respond to disasters, she said many countries were considering a system similar to that set up in Colombia. Civil defence mechanisms were not the most appropriate ones in disaster-prone countries. The creation of new ad hoc methods were not always enough to deal with emergencies.

SERGIO VIEIRA DE MELLO, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said evaluations of emergency responses were increasing. One had been requested after the earthquake in Afghanistan. He said he also intended to request more of such exercises after other disaster relief operations. There were currently 100 members of the United Nations Disaster Assistance and Coordination. They were known as assessment and coordination teams and were on permanent stand-by. Apart from its assistance in the El Niño phenomenon, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had been extremely helpful in improving the early warning disaster response branch in Geneva.

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Regarding the sharing of information on interventions in forest fires, particularly in Indonesia, he said that wide dissemination had taken place in 1997 and 1998. There were also meetings of fire fighting experts in the specialized agencies and NGOs. Close cooperation also existed with regional initiatives such as ASEAN.

Panel Discussion on Complex Emergencies

FRANCESCO STRIPPOLI, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Angola, said the peace process in the country was going through the worst stage in recent memory. The United Nations presence in Angola had worked to open humanitarian corridors during periods of intense fighting, allowing people to receive humanitarian assistance. It also had established a formal coordination mechanism for mine action and the integration of demobilized soldiers. In addition, it was preparing a consolidated donor appeal to encourage donor interests. Efforts were also continuing in the collection and sharing of information with all partners involved in humanitarian action.

Regarding the current work being carried out in Angola, he said it was now clear that mid-term forecasts for the country had been overly optimistic and based on progress made in the political arena. That progress had not been translated into reality for the Angolan people. Recently there had been military skirmishes, acts of banditry, mine laying and a new wave of displacement, with 75,000 displaced people registered during the last two months. Angola now faced a complex emergency situation.

Currently, agencies were working in the field to coordinate and maintain a network of field advisers to manage humanitarian activities, he said. Field advisers worked directly with government officials in the provinces and with teams comprised of all involved actors. International workers were facing serious security problems, and attacks on local populations continued. Field advisers were playing a key role in security coordination, by advising non- governmental organizations (NGOs) when to pull back from dangerous situations and when to pull out.

While those activities in field were important, it was also vital to carry out many activities at the national level, he said. Agencies had established a national humanitarian coordination group to solve operational issues. The independence of the humanitarian coordinator was essential to keep humanitarian objectives from being overwhelmed by political concerns.

A greater level of awareness was needed among the staff working in complex emergencies, he said. The United Nations should encourage a formalized relationship between humanitarian community and peacekeeping operations. Senior peacekeeping officials should receive an orientation organized by the humanitarian community. In turn, operational organizations

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should be included in political and military matters as often as possible. The Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) must remain in emergency situations until peace appeared virtually irreversible.

KATHLEEN CRAVERO-KRISTOFFERSSON, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Burundi, said the civil conflict that had ravaged the country since 1993 continued to give rise to suffering and hardship. Over 1 million Burundians continued to live away from their homes. About 600,000 were internally displaced persons, and some 300,000 were refugees in the United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic People's Republic of the Congo. Approximately 345,000 people depended every day on food aid, and 37,000 were beneficiaries of supplementary feeding programmes. Malnutrition among children under 5 years of age averaged 20 per cent in the most affected areas.

Support for the principles guiding efforts to assist the internally displaced must be promoted aggressively among governments, she said. The role of the humanitarian community was to assist governments in responding to the needs of internally displaced persons. They should not attempt to replace government coordination or absolve authorities of their responsibility in relation to those people, except in cases where no alternative existed.

The sanctions imposed on Burundi had contributed to further impoverish the communities, she said. At the same time, they had led to large-scale smuggling, profiteering and the creation of a parallel economy. In addition, sanctions had complicated the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The danger of misappropriation of assistance -- sometimes before it even reaches Burundi -- had increased considerably due to smuggling and racketeering.

The United Nations presence in Burundi was concerned that the failure to respond to rehabilitation and development needs would cause the vast majority of Burundians to lose hope. Another concern was that the lack of access to basic education might give rise to a generation of children who lacked information and skills to take informed decisions. If the international community failed to support the fledgling peace efforts undertaken by moderate forces, it was possible those moderates would be taken hostage by both sides of the conflict.

MARCO BORSOTTI, United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator for Georgia, said the "weak state" scenario was the situation the international community was confronting in Georgia. Georgia was undergoing three different aid phases simultaneously. The majority of the country was stable and international assistance was focusing on development. Another area of the country in the South Ossetai region was peaceful, but its civil conflicts remained unresolved. There, assistance was increasingly focused on rehabilitation of war-affected zones, as well as on the provision of shelter and other help to returnees. Finally, in Abkhazia, up to 50,000 people still relied on emergency relief feeding programmes. The return process to that

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radically depopulated region had been disastrously disrupted by the resumption of hostilities in May 1998.

He said there had been many efforts in Georgia to address the issue of misplaced assistance and the collateral damage that accompanied it. Those efforts included workshops, programmes and training. Although the political situation was complex, the international community must endeavour not to push humanitarian interests aside. Life-saving aid should be provided to civilians in need, irrespective of their politics. Relief agencies must remain mindful that they could be used for political leverage by de facto authorities. Agencies should try to avoid, or at least to minimize, such possibility.

Addressing the value of coordination, he said all actors needed sufficient information to act responsibly. That meant that all relief and development agencies needed to act in harmony. It was important that the United Nations functioned in close harmony with other actors. The OCHA must act as an effective advocate for the humanitarian principles of freedom of access and the security of staff in conflict situations. There was also an urgent need to strengthen field arrangements envisaged by the Inter-Agency Steering Committee.

ELIZABETH LWANGA, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sierra Leone, said the humanitarian crisis in the country had been characterized by masses of people running away from brutal attacks. The situation had major implications for the people and the country, including the reduction of production and increased stress on the social structure. The last coup d'état had led to the takeover of the capital city, which then caused a new wave of displaced persons. The escalation of insecurity had led to the evacuation of the entire international community and a massive exodus of professionals to neighbouring countries. The crisis had also produced some of the most horrendous attacks on civilians.

A coordinated humanitarian response had not emerged in Sierra Leone until 1994, she said. Before that time, the Government had only established a plan to address the needs of Liberian refugees who had fled into Sierra Leone. The first approach of the response was in the area of relief assistance. Relief agencies, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 30 national and international NGOs had worked with the humanitarian assistance coordination unit to provide food assistance, medicine and health care, water and sanitation, as well as income-generating activities for internally displaced persons. There had been intense collaboration with sister agencies in neighbouring countries to assist refugees.

The second stage of the response had been to promote a peace process, she said. Agencies and donors had sought alternative ways to end the fighting. That process had involved regional bodies, local and national NGOs

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and had culminated in a cessation of hostilities that had lasted from 1996 until May 1997. The third stage had been the electoral process.

In addressing the human emergency in Sierra Leone, there had been a strong local coping mechanism that demonstrated great responsibility for the displaced, she said. There also had been a strong determination on the part of local people to support democratic efforts, and a significant commitment from the international community to support the people of Sierra Leone.

Insecurity was, and continued to be, the greatest constraint for humanitarian assistance, she said. It had created numerous obstacles to reaching internally displaced persons and attaining a clear and accurate knowledge of situations. A strong and centralized coordination mechanism lacked personnel, resources and logistics. The Government's presence was inadequate to take charge on the ground. That left the delivery and management of emergency programmes in the hands of foreign agencies.

Mr. WITSCHI-CESTARI, United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan, said that the human drama in that country was not about to come to an end. The peace efforts, no matter how imaginative, had been useless. The future seemed grim. Today no skilled Afghans remained in the country. The 20 million people who remained were all affected by the conflict. While there were still some 4 million refugees and internally displaced peoples, there were also 500,000 people who belonged to households headed by widows. There were no functioning schools or health service.

However, he noted that there were still pockets of tranquillity where no fighting had taken place for four years. There were places where 2 million refugees had returned. Some private investment also existed. He reminded delegates that peace would be built by the Afghans and not the international community. The latter had to focus their help on the people.

He said several proposals had been put forward. In addition, 15 donor countries had been meeting regularly with the United Nations to develop aid strategies for the country. Efforts to prepare a framework programme for Afghanistan were almost complete. The framework was based on sharing of responsibilities, common programming based on the absolute need for accountability, and monitoring and evaluation. He believed that proposed model was adaptable to the needs of other countries. The only weakness of the framework so far was the non-participation of the Afghan authorities. That posed a tremendous challenge.

Exchange of Views

In response to comments about capacity-building, Mr. STRIPPOLI said the United Nations should not pull out of a country without transferring to local agencies the capacity that had been acquired. Non-governmental organizations

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were a key element in the disbursement of humanitarian assistance. They could ensure that it reached people in most remote areas. Regarding information- sharing, he said much was done in compiling accurate information at the field level. Agencies in Angola had developed a monthly situation report on the status of humanitarian activities in the country.

Concerning internally displaced persons, Ms. CRAVERO-KRISTOFFERSSON said international arrangements for those people would work well. At the country level, coordination was more difficult under pressure, and it was important to monitor activities in order to come up with the best solutions. Regarding the consolidated appeal process, to date Burundi had received no support from donors as a result of that document. She welcomed the efforts of the OCHA to look into its usefulness, but there should be a partnership with donors. If the donor governments did not feel comfortable, a dialogue should be initiated or chances would be squandered.

In response to a question about lead agencies, Mr. BORSOTTI said in Georgia they had managed to respond to the complexity of the emergency without a lead agencies for internally displaced populations. They had been able to take full advantage of the expertise of various United Nations agencies and other organizations. In addition, the necessary resources were obtained in a relatively brief period of time. The Government response had accompanied all their efforts and had not created a parallel structure to the one in place.

Regarding the appeal process, he said they had moved out of the consolidated appeal process and into a mechanism in which the donor community responded to a coordinated presentation of needs by the Government. The response of the international community in assistance for development, relief and reconstruction showed that it was possible to have a coordinated movement from different stages in the process. It was important to acquire the determination of government counterparts to resume responsibility and confront challenges.

Ms. LWANGA said the positions of Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator of Sierra Leone had always been held by one person. She believed that helped the United Nations system to be more focused without having the interplay of different agencies. However, when the posts were established as a single entity, the Organization had to ensure that appropriate support was given by the different agencies. The joint Coordinator also had to be assisted by humanitarian professionals so as to get the best results.

She said the Consolidated Appeals Process should be used as a mechanism for programming and analysis of problems. It was also extremely important that the process be linked to other fund-raising mechanisms at the country level. If those tools were all linked it would make such exercises more understandable. They would also help governments to come up with better strategies for intermediate and long-term development plans. On the issue of

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merging relief for reconstruction with development management, she said there must be ways to make that idea work since they both needed to be part of one piece.

Concerning coordination of human assistance and peacekeeping activities, she said that if responses to emergencies also focused on solutions to crises, then the two issues would have to be looked at jointly. Also, if the United Nations could not help locals to take charge of their emergencies, then there was no reason for the Organization to be in those countries. There had to be built-in systematic efforts to improve the capacities of local bodies.

Mr. WITSCHI-CESTARI said that for the resident and humanitarian coordinator, a key priority was to have a clear professional information policy. Without that, work could not be done. Information was not only for the outside world but for the local people -- they too needed to know what the international efforts in their country were achieving. There was presently a magazine in Afghanistan disseminating information on a local level. Good relationships had also been established with the foreign press.

Regarding analysis, he said that for three years the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had been engaged on the strategy framework for Afghanistan. It was also working with donors and the World Bank, and had been involved in capacity-building as well. The link between capacity-building and the war effort was also examined. How would the outcome of capacity-building be used in warfare? Alternatively, how would such efforts contribute to the reduction of warfare? Gender issues were also being analysed on a common basis. Addressing the issue of internally displaced persons, he said that coordination in that area must take place at the local level. It was, however, unlikely that there would be a new agency to deal with that crisis.

Right of Reply

MATIA MULUMBA SEMAKULA KIWANUKA (Uganda), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that yesterday the representative of the Sudan had perpetrated a "vicious attack" against him. He had been accused of delaying a Council meeting last year in Geneva, at which he had not been present. The humanitarian situation in southern Sudan was a monumental disaster, but the Sudanese Government did not want anyone to speak about that or to explain its causes.

The tragic humanitarian situation in the Sudan was a result of policies that had put restrictions in the way of humanitarian assistance, he said. The degree of displacement was colossal, not only in southern Sudan but also in northern Uganda. Ten thousand Ugandan girls had been abducted and married to old men, and thousands of people had been maimed or forced to endure other atrocities. Last month, a dissident group, supported by the Sudan, burned to

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death 80 Ugandan school children. Compassion was not sufficient in such cases. The perpetrators of such crimes must be held accountable.

MUBARAK HUSSEIN RAHMTALLA (Sudan), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that yesterday the Ugandan representative had distributed a paper without informing the Secretariat. That violated the rules of procedure of the United Nations. He had done the same during the Council's organizational session last year, when he had retarded its work for at least an hour. The paper, which dated back to 1994, was full of hatred against Arabs and Muslims. He invited the Council to witness its insulting content and to tell the people of the world.

The representative of Uganda was not knowledgeable about the situation in the Sudan, he said. He challenged him to provide any evidence that Muslim law had been applied in the southern part of the Sudan. Recently, the two sides had entered into a cease-fire, but Uganda was creating more obstacles on the road to peace. The Sudan deplored all violations of international law and acts of violence. His Government had extended cooperation to various United Nations agencies, and the Secretary-General had commended its cooperation in the smooth delivery of humanitarian assistance in southern Sudan. The representative of Uganda should be the last one to speak of human rights violations.

Concluding Remarks

In concluding remarks on the Council's humanitarian segment, Mr. VIEIRA DE MELLO said the coordination of humanitarian assistance had been significantly strengthened since the establishment of an executive committee on humanitarian affairs, which worked closely with the executive committee on peace and security. The Council had voiced strong support for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, and suggestions were made for the enlargement of its membership, in order to improve its functioning. That advice would be taken very seriously into account.

Strong support was also voiced for the guiding principles on internally displaced persons, and he said a focal point for those persons would soon be established in the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Country specific consultations should be the basis for coordination between agencies. That required commitment to the principles of common programming. Regarding regional efforts to complement international action, he agreed to to establish a small joint office with the Department of Political Affairs in Addis Ababa to liaise with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and other subregional organizations. He also noted that several speakers had stressed the need for greater south-south cooperation, particularly for the prevention, mitigation and response to natural disasters.

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He went on to say that he was determined to develop rules and procedures for responses to complex emergencies and natural disasters. The OCHA could not function within the existing Secretariat rules and regulations. He also supported a strong International Criminal Court in order to hold accountable perpetrators of vicious attacks against civilians. Regarding the consolidated appeal process, he said OCHA was in the process of conducting a thorough review of that process to take into account all the weaknesses identified in recent years.

The response to natural disasters required an integrated approach in disaster-prone countries to address their many different facets, he said. Humanitarian and development agencies were encouraged to work more closely with the World Bank to ensure early inclusion and to close the development gap. Post-conflict peace-building involved a range of activities that needed to be fully integrated. Humanitarian assistance and donor generosity could not be taken for granted, when no progress had been made in conflict resolution.

He welcomed the broad support for OCHA's efforts to evaluate the humanitarian consequences of sanctions. He was actively pursuing that issue with Security Council members and would continue to do so in months ahead. He expressed gratitude to the Council for its staunch support for better protection for humanitarian personnel, who continued to face increasing dangers. There was a great need to translate that support into tangible results on the ground.

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