AS ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON CRISIS RELIEF POINTS TO UNEVEN DONOR RESPONSES, UNITED STATES EARMARKS HALF OF UNHCR CONTRIBUTION FOR AFRICA

Press Release
GA/9664

AS ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON CRISIS RELIEF POINTS TO UNEVEN DONOR RESPONSES, UNITED STATES EARMARKS HALF OF UNHCR CONTRIBUTION FOR AFRICA

Need To Protect Refugees and Humanitarian Workers Highlighted; Ukraine Appeals for Aid To Deal with Problems of Chernobyl Aftermath

In the midst of a debate in which many speakers pointed to biases and imbalance in international concern that yielded more humanitarian assistance for some parts of the globe than others, the United States representative announced that 50 per cent of its initial contributions to the Office of the United High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the fiscal year 2000 would be earmarked for Africa, to ensure an equitable level of care for African refugees.

As the General Assembly discussed ways to strengthen the coordination of United Nations humanitarian assistance and disaster relief programmes, the representative of the United States also highlighted the widespread problem of physical and sexual abuse of women and children who had been forced to flee their homes and land, and said it was the responsibility of all governments to ensure their safety. He further said that the international community must not stand by while refugees and displaced persons were exposed to cross-border attacks or forced recruitment, or held hostage by armed elements within camps, as had been the case in refugee camps in Guinea and Liberia.

Speakers continued to identify the protection of humanitarian relief workers as a critical issue, and called for an integrated proactive -- as opposed to reactive -- strategy to address every stage of natural disasters.

The representative of Nigeria said the inadequacy of resources for humanitarian relief was compounded by an uneven geographical and sectoral distribution of funds. The level of relief assistance extended to Kosovo in the Balkans, where some 1.2 million displaced persons had been resettled in two months, contrasted sharply to Angola, where some 1.6 million displaced remained largely ignored. The international community should not feign unawareness of this sad contrast, but should respond in a more balanced manner to the humanitarian needs of societies afflicted by the unfortunate elements that caused human misery.

The representative of Ukraine said the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe continued to take their toll on his country. The assessment of the medical and biological consequences of the disaster was one of the most complicated tasks. Among the conspicuous consequences was a tenfold increase in

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9664 59th Meeting (PM) 19 November 1999

thyroid cancer in children since the accident. It was still unclear how the genetic and immunity status of the population had been affected. Citing continuing problems with radiation containment and woefully inadequate levels of international assistance, he urged the holding of a donors' conference in 2001, on the fifteenth anniversary of the disaster.

Statements were made by the representatives of India, Russian Federation, Chile, Mexico, Norway, China, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Egypt. The observer for Palestine also spoke.

The Assembly will meet again on Monday at 10 a.m. to continue its debate on humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, and to take up an agenda item on oceans and the law of the sea.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the agenda item on strengthening coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations. (For background information, see Press Release GA/9663 of 19 November.)

Statements

CHANDRESH KUMARI (India) said the principles of humanitarian assistance must continue to be based on neutrality, impartiality, full respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the national unity of States. Further, it must be provided with the consent of the affected countries, and must respect the primacy of the role of the affected States in the implementation of humanitarian assistance within its territory. She rejected the assertion that the offer of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations conferred any right of humanitarian intervention, for which there was no legal basis under the United Nations Charter.

She was deeply concerned, she said, over the recent decline in funding levels for humanitarian assistance. There was, thus, an urgent need to guarantee adequate financial resources for humanitarian assistance activities, while ensuring that such resources were not diverted from already scarce resources for development. The sole criterion for such assistance should be human need. Considering that the vast majority of humanitarian emergencies related to natural disasters, the attention those had received, compared with more complex humanitarian emergencies, had been disproportionately inadequate.

Efforts must be redoubled to correct those dangerous anomalies, she said. She strongly supported the Secretary-General’s view that uneven geographical funding threatened to undermine the basic principle of humanitarian assistance. There should also be a clear distinction between the peacekeeping and peacemaking functions and the principles of humanitarian access, she went on. Similarly, distinctions must be maintained between the political, peacekeeping, human rights and humanitarian work of the Organization.

She said the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan had assumed serious proportions. Of great concern was the discrimination against girls, women and religious minorities. Forced displacement of civilians by the Taliban, the deliberate destruction of sparse infrastructure, including the irrigation system in the Shumali plains, and the indiscriminate aerial bombing of civilians, among others, had impeded the provision of relief materials to thousands of internally displaced persons. Hopefully, there would soon be an end to the constraints on humanitarian assistance outlined by the Secretary-General last year.

SERGUEI KHETAGUROV, Vice-Minister for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disaster of the Russian Federation, said that the basic principles governing the provision of humanitarian assistance should be neutrality and impartiality; any exceptions would be inadmissible.

So far, he said, no adequate steps had been taken to restore the economy of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Basic amenities, such as hot water and electricity, were still absent; there were hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, and the public health situation was inadequate. Unless steps were taken to redress these problems, the country could only look forward to a humanitarian crisis.

He said the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster were still a cause for concern, notwithstanding the United Nations’ admirable efforts to alleviate the situation. His country had sought to implement a number of programmes to alleviate the impact of the catastrophe, but a chronic lack of financial support had made that difficult. It needed international cooperation in order to carry out those projects.

He highlighted humanitarian assistance programmes being carried out in Tajikistan, Afghanistan and many parts of Africa. Particular attention must be paid to Africa, where humanitarian needs continued to be acute. The international community must realize that an investment in humanitarian assistance was an investment in peace and normalcy in a country.

Noting that in recent years the world had been beset by hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and forest fires -- with a death toll of some 50,000 and material damage amounting to more than $100 billion -- he said it was imperative to take steps to prevent disasters or at least minimize their effects. He suggested setting up an international task force under United Nations auspices to mitigate the consequences of natural disasters. A network should be established at the country, regional and bilateral levels. It would not duplicate, but rather complement the work already being undertaken by United Nations agencies. His country would offer its expertise in emergency helicopter transport; the experience and technological expertise of other States could also be utilized. Such an international mechanism should be explored and put in place as soon as possible. He hoped a proposal to that effect could be adopted by the General Assembly.

JUAN LARRAIN (Chile) said the Economic and Social Council should contribute to generate a climate of trust in humanitarian activities. Preserving the apolitical and impartial nature of such activities was an essential precondition for transparent, international cooperation. Those elements were important to maintain the credibility and universality of humanitarian activities. Moreover, it was necessary to observe principles of international humanitarian law, particularly when it came to averting the suffering of the most vulnerable groups. In that regard, the United Nations must support the work done by society, in particular, by non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

He said it was necessary to ensure international cooperation to assist States that lacked the capacity to respond. In that regard, there was much work to do. From the standpoint of development, the economic, ecological, environmental and social impact of refugees on host countries was a matter of great concern. Those countries that received great flows of refugees should not have to assume the high costs deriving from those humanitarian emergencies. The damage caused by refugee flows -- from epidemics and deterioration of the environment, for example -- constituted a serious threat for those countries.

MANUEL TELLO (Mexico) said it was regrettable that, in addition to humanitarian tragedies caused by natural disasters, there were emergencies created by conflicts. Strengthening international cooperation for development was essential. Humanitarian assistance was a complex task that required clear and defined parameters. Such assistance must be provided in accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality, with due regard to sovereignty and territorial integrity. An integral approach was needed to ensure that the United Nations system was effective in providing leadership and coordination in countries affected by crises. He shared the concern over the security of humanitarian workers, who were key elements in the assistance programmes, and extended condolences to the families of such workers who had lost their lives.

He also expressed condolences to, and solidarity with, those countries that had recently been struck by natural disasters. The many recent disasters had shown the need to shift from a response perspective to an integral strategy. In that regard, the Rio Group felt that regional cooperation should be promoted to address natural disasters at every phase. At a recent Rio de Janeiro summit, representatives of countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union had set up a programme of cooperation in that regard.

He said the United Nations must have the answers to the "why, when and how" of international operations in addressing natural disasters. Humanitarian assistance was a task for all and affected all. It should be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of international law.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said the growing number of natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies, as well as a brutal disregard for humanitarian norms that placed humanitarian workers at risk and denied them access to victims in conflict zones, created a “formidable” humanitarian agenda. He welcomed the progress the Organization had achieved during the past year in managing that agenda. Improved coordination mechanisms had led to a more effective response and more constant focus. He also welcomed closer relations between the humanitarian and political activities of the United Nations at the intergovernmental level, facilitating a move from reaction to prevention.

He said that the respect accorded to humanitarian personnel and United Nations staff members must be reinforced, and the perpetrators of violence and harassment against them must be brought to justice. He said that neither geography nor the nature of the disaster, nor the amount of media coverage received, should dictate the right of victims to assistance. Norway was developing a more cohesive national approach to emergency, post-conflict, transition and development issues, to address the root causes of conflict and disaster. It had also striven to raise awareness of the intersection of humanitarian assistance and long-term development efforts.

Improved socio-economic development for the Palestinian people living in the occupied Palestinian territories was crucial to the peace process in the Middle East, he said. Norway had renewed its commitment to the process by pledging over $170 million for the next five years to support Palestinian institutions focusing on the planning, education, water and energy sectors, among others. It had also been involved in coordination mechanisms for responses to both short- and long-term humanitarian needs. Pending implementation of a final settlement of the refugee issue, the continued assistance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) remained indispensable to the Palestinian people.

HUANG XUEQI (China) was deeply concerned at the large numbers of disaster victims and refugees who continued to live in dire misery. He deplored the low level of response from donor countries and supported the call of the Economic and Social Council for increased contributions to all consolidated appeals.

The United Nations, he said, should strictly abide by the guiding principles laid down in the Charter. United Nations bodies should play their appointed roles in humanitarian efforts. Plans for rehabilitation, reconstruction and development should be drawn up at the stage of crisis management. With a development strategy in place from the beginning, gaps in the transitional period would be reduced, leading to a more stable transition.

He said that the focus of international disaster-relief efforts should be shifted from post-disaster response to disaster-management approaches that included disaster prevention and preparedness measures. Eventually, there should be a comprehensive disaster-relief stand-by mechanism. The “white helmet” initiative was such a mechanism offered by States to the United Nations on a voluntary basis. With pre-designated specialized human and technical resources at the ready, it could be an important supplement to humanitarian relief actions. He applauded the work undertaken by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and supported the proposal that the regular budget provide more funds and staff for Office so as to enable it to function even better.

YURII SAMOILENKO (Ukraine) said of the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe had been felt for more than 13 years and would continue to have an effect on future generations. Nobody could adequately estimate the scale, or all the aspects, of that disaster’s social, economic, humanitarian, ecological, technological and other consequences. The area contaminated by the accident covered 50,000 square kilometres in Ukraine alone. The disaster had affected about 3.5 million inhabitants of Ukraine; some 72,000 had become invalids. Assessment of the medical and biological consequences of the disaster was one of the most complicated tasks. The growth of sickness rates and worsening of the psychophysical state of the population had become more and more conspicuous year by year. The number of cases of thyroid cancer among children had increased more than tenfold since the disaster. It was still unclear how the population’s genetic and immunity status had been affected.

One of the most difficult problems for Ukraine was related to the transformation of the “Shelter” facility into an environmentally safe system. The “Shelter” was a highly sophisticated structure that reduced radioactive fallout from the reactor. However, that facility’s short lifespan made it a factor of psychological stress for the population, since, by its hydro- technological characteristics, it presented a threat for the whole region and for the cascade of the Dnipro River, in particular. Moreover, a very serious problem with the nuclear fuel and fuel-containing materials concentrated in the “Shelter” facility had not been solved yet. Taking into account the dimensions of the problem and its long-term nature, it was necessary to mobilize additional resources for continuation of the Chernobyl projects. He proposed to hold a donor meeting in Kyiv in 2001 on the fifteenth anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

He concluded by underlining the impact of the Kosovo conflict on the fragile economies of South-eastern Europe. The termination of navigation along the Danube had paralysed the economic activity of most Ukrainian shipping companies, ports and enterprises. Together with Romania, Bulgaria and other interested countries, Ukraine was ready to participate in the work to clean the waterway so that navigation could be resumed on the Danube as soon as possible.

MOHAMMAD A. ABULHASAN (Kuwait) offered condolences to the Government and people of Turkey in respect of the devastating earthquake that had struck that country this week. He reiterated his country's pledge of support to help alleviate its consequences.

Kuwait fully recognized the limited capacity of small and developing countries in meeting the challenges of natural disasters, which were on the increase. Thousands had also lost their lives as a result of human-made actions, such as wars and the use of deadly weapons, which were meant to bring about resolutions to long-standing disputes, but seldom did.

He said his country also recognized the burdens faced by many small and developing countries in the area of reconstruction and rehabilitation in the aftermath of a disaster or crisis. Both were costly exercises. Kuwait consistently responded to such tragedies, delivering all forms of assistance to affected areas. Non-governmental organizations in his country, including the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society, gave assistance in cash and kind, totalling $1.3 million, annually, to countries ravaged by natural disasters. He reaffirmed Kuwait's commitment to support development projects in many nations, stating that development and peace were organically linked and mutually supporting factors.

MOHAMMAD J.SAMHAN (United Arab Emirates) affirmed his country’s solidarity with States that had recently suffered floods and earthquakes.

He thanked the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for its efforts to mitigate some of those problems. Its efforts, however, did not meet all the needs of the people affected because of the increase in the number of crises and the dwindling assistance provided by donor States. He called on those States who could do so to increase their financial and humanitarian assistance to countries in crisis, to enable them to overcome their problems. He also called for increased international cooperation in the adoption of long- term measures to coordinate assistance between United Nations agencies and other financial and development organizations that dealt with such crises.

He said that regional and national agencies providing help for refugees and displaced persons should be strengthened so that they could help those unfortunate people to return home safely. The Palestinian people were still suffering from Israeli occupation. The Israelis had expropriated their property while restricting their movement. They had also hindered the activities of humanitarian agencies in the occupied territories. He called on Israel to put an end to its violations of international law and for financial agencies to comply with their commitment to the Palestinian people, so that they could set an independent State with Jerusalem as the capital.

SIM FARAR (United States) said the United Nations system deserved a great deal of credit for alleviating the crises in Kosovo and East Timor. However, serious humanitarian problems plagued other parts of the world. The United States continued to support humanitarian operations in Africa and elsewhere and encouraged others to do the same. His country would allocate 50 per cent of its initial contributions to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the fiscal year 2000 for Africa, in order to ensure that an equitable level of care was provided to African refugees.

He said the question of security was particularly important to his country. The international community must not stand by while refugees and displaced persons were exposed to cross-border attacks or forced recruitment, or held hostage by armed elements within camps, as had been the case in Guinea and Liberia. In many places around the world, humanitarian workers continued to be killed, kidnapped, injured and raped. The protection of those people was the primary responsibility of States. He called on all countries to investigate such acts and bring to justice those responsible. The international community needed to move forward on a variety of options to help provide security for civilians and humanitarian personnel caught up in armed conflict.

Highlighting the vulnerability of women and children in conflict, he said physical and sexual abuse was still a widespread problem. It was the responsibility of all governments to ensure the safety of women and children who had been forced to flee their homes and land and depended on host countries and the international community for their safety. He also expressed concern about the uneven and too often inadequate protection currently afforded to those who were internally displaced by armed conflict. "We look forward to the possibility of working with OCHA and the member agencies of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee to develop more predictable responses for ensuring that internally displaced persons receive the care and protection they need." The United States also advocated close cooperation among United Nations agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), NGOs and States to ensure the protection of internally displaced persons.

LUIZ TUPY CALDAS DE MOURA (Brazil) said, although emergency relief for natural disasters was essential, it was also crucial to give attention to preparedness. A number of governments lacked the funds for major risk-reduction and disaster-prevention programmes. International assistance was the key to that problem; it would make a difference in mitigating future damages and reducing the future need for humanitarian aid and reconstruction. Prevention played an even-greater role in so-called “complex emergencies” -- the euphemism used to appease the global conscience in situations where human beings had their dignity abased on a large scale as a result of poverty and conflict.

Prevention did not lend itself to a shortsighted security approach, he continued. It involved the construction of solid pillars for society through cooperation for development, poverty eradication and strengthening the rule of law. Strategies to tackle humanitarian problems should focus on conflict prevention, peacemaking and post-conflict peace-building.

He said that coordination was important in humanitarian assistance. The many different agencies must work in concert, based on the principle of shared responsibility, to tackle humanitarian problems. Mandates could differ, but the work of all the parties was intertwined. He attached importance to the contributions of the General Assembly, Security Council and the Economic and Social Council in producing synergy for humanitarian assistance. Also important was the concept that humanitarian assistance should exceed emergency aid. However, there was a widening gap between immediate relief assistance and longer-term development cooperation. People were easily touched by humanitarian disasters, but seemed less willing to create an environment conducive to development.

MARWAN A. JILANI, observer for Palestine, said there had been pledges made by donor countries last year in Washington for assistance to the Palestinian people, which had been reiterated at a recent meeting in Tokyo, but had not been honoured. A drastic decline in contributions to the Palestinian people was a matter of great concern. Honouring pledges and making contributions were essential to socio-economic development, reconstruction and prosperity in the region. He expressed his appreciation to those who had provided support.

The report of the Secretary-General had highlighted a slight improvement in the living conditions of Palestinians. However, Israel should desist from its policy of closure, which was an instrument of collective punishment. The recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian People and their right to self-determination and to build their country were essential to peace.

AHMED H. DARWISH (Egypt) expressed condolences to the Government and people of Turkey over this week’s earthquake and to the families of the persons who lost their lives in the plane crash in Kosovo last week.

He said natural disasters should be at the top of the international agenda, given their magnitude and scope. There was also a disturbing increase in military conflicts that had resulted in huge losses of life and massive displacement of people. Assaults against relief personnel should be treated as dangerous and inadmissible actions. Humanitarian intervention must be carried out with the approval of States, in conformity with the principle of national sovereignty. The General Assembly should define the appropriate procedures to follow in such cases, as well, he said .

There was also a need for an integrated approach in dealing with natural disasters, he said. The provision of adequate resources would help the competent organs to discharge their mandates. However, for those purposes, resources should not be provided at the expenses of activities for development. The responses to consolidated appeals were characterized by imbalance. He called on the financially capable States to increase their contributions. Egypt supported the Secretary-General’s proposal to increase the resources for natural disaster response. The United Nations agencies in the occupied Palestinian territory were contributing to improving the conditions of the people there, and deserved support. G.B. PREWARE (Nigeria) said, while his country welcomed the 30 per cent rise in the 1999 pledges for Africa, it noted with concern the increasing shortfall between need and actual funds raised. In May of this year, Africa’s requirements had stood at $697.32 million, while available funds amounted to $193.74 million, covering only 26 per cent of the actual need.

The inadequacy resources was compounded, he continued, by the uneven geographical and sectoral distribution of funds. The level of relief assistance extended to Kosovo, where some 1.2 million displaced persons had been resettled in two months, contrasted sharply to Angola, where some 1.6 million displaced persons remained largely ignored. The international community should not feign unawareness of this sad contrast, but should instead respond in a more balanced manner to the humanitarian needs of societies afflicted by the unfortunate elements that cause human misery.

He was hopeful that the establishment of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee would enhance a coherent and clear division of responsibilities and accountability at the field level in provision of humanitarian assistance. He called for an increased emphasis on strengthening disaster preparedness and early-warning systems at the local, country and regional levels. Efforts should be made to identify regionally based experts to assist in improving the operational preparedness of governments to meet emergency and disaster situations. He also urged that special efforts be made to enhance local disaster-response capacity and to utilize existing capacities in developing countries closer to disaster sites.

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