INDIA RECEIVES $1 MILLION FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FROM FOUNDATION

A $1 million donation to the Indian Government to support its relief efforts after last week's earthquake was announced today at a press conference at Headquarters.  The donation, by philanthropic organization the W.P.Carey Foundation, was the largest private sector donation received by India thus far.

Estimates of the death toll from the earthquake range from 20,000 to 100,000, and some 200,000 thousand people have been rendered homeless.  The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has a Disaster Assessment and Coordination team working with the Government of India to coordinate international assistance efforts in the area. 

Presenting the cheque for $1 million to Kamalesh Sharma, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the head of the foundation, William Polk Carey, explained that he had a long-standing interest in India.  Two of the largest democracies in the world, India and the United States, should be the closest possible partners, he stated, and his foundation wanted to do everything possible to help foster that partnership.

Mr. Sharma expressed his deep appreciation for the foundation’s generosity and engagement with his country.  It was an extraordinary gesture, not only because of the size of the amount of money donated, but also because it was also an example of a spirit of commitment to others and a gesture of solidarity in the face of unspeakable catastrophe.  He also thanked the United Nations Association of the United States of America for making today's even possible.

Responding to a question regarding the situation in the region of the earthquake, Mr. Sharma said that the Indian subcontinental plate was extremely mobile, in geological terms.  It pressed against the Asian plate, at the Himalayas, at the rate of about five centimeters a year.  That made for geological stresses, tensions and accumulation of energy in many parts of the subcontinent. 

In some seismic zones on the subcontinent, the frequency of earthquakes meant that people were prepared, he said.  However, the latest earthquake had not occurred in a zone known for such disasters, and had therefore caught people by surprise.  It was particularly devastating because of its proximity to a densely-populated area.  He was confident that, in the future, with advancements in technology, it would prove possible to better predict such earthquakes. 

Asked, what kind of response to the situation in India he would like to see from the United States –- the richest country in the world, Mr. Carey said that the needs were enormous.  India had asked for a loan of over $1.5 billion from the World Bank, and that money needed to be repaid.  Repairing the damage was going to cost at least that amount.  Notwithstanding the grief and the sorrow, rebuilding was going to be extremely costly. 

Of course, no amount of money could turn the clock back, Mr. Carey continued.  But it would be helpful.

Asked where he would like the foundation’s donation to be spent, Mr. Carey replied that it he wanted it to go where it would be most effective.  Most of the pledged funds were committed through the Indian Prime Minister's Relief Fund.  

Mr. Sharma explained that effective coordination of donated funds was being ensured by the United Nations through OCHA, which had also sent a team to the country to ensure that there was no duplication and that all donations were used in an optimal manner.  More than 15 countries had made donations for earthquake relief in India, and the financial institutions, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) had also been approached for loans. 

Asked if more cheques were expected from other philanthropic foundations, Mr. Carey said that he hoped others would follow.  Because of the scope of the emergency, his foundation had pledged the largest donation it had ever made. However, it was a small foundation, and there were other much larger ones, which should, and probably would, come forward.  The benefits to the United States were enormous in terms of the long-term relationship with India that was being fostered. 

A correspondent asked if India was approaching other foundations seeking donations, and Mr. Sharma responded that that most of the resources for relief would come from India's domestic resources.  However, India would appreciate assistance in several areas, and the OCHA team was coordinating activities in that respect.  India appreciated all forms of aid it received.  It was important to be open to receiving assistance from all sources, because it was necessary to act quickly.

Asked, why India had not made an appeal for donations from the international community, similar to that made by El Salvador, Mr. Sharma said that when the disaster had struck, many potential donors had approached the Government, and the country had made its needs clear.  However, India had great capacity of its own, in many areas, and it did not make sense to turn to the international community with a generalized appeal.  It was important to receive assistance that was really needed.  India was open to discussion with all interested parties on its needs, taking into consideration what could be done internally.

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