PRESS BRIEFING BY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, A.I.

PRESS BRIEFING BY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, A.I.

Over the past two years, a combination of drought, snow, cold and ice had created the most severe weather conditions in Mongolia in 60 years, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, a.i., Carolyn McAskie, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon. 

Having just returned from a field visit to Mongolia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ms. McAskie told correspondents that Mongolia experienced a climatic phenomenon known no where else in the world.  The phenomenon was so unique to Mongolia that the word to describe the combination of drought and extreme winter weather -- "dzud" -- could not be translated into other languages.

While that natural disaster had not resulted in many human deaths, the effects of the "dzud" on livestock was devastating, she continued.  Mongolia consisted mostly of herding communities, and its economy was based primarily on livestock.  Since the collapse of an industrial relationship with the Soviet bloc in 1989, traditional methods of income had been encouraged to the extent that livestock represented some 80 per cent of the economy.  "What we need to try to explain is that a livestock disaster is a humanitarian disaster, as well",

Ms. McAskie said.

While the original purpose for her visit to Mongolia was to highlight the emerging winter disaster, Ms. McAskie was then confronted with a personal disaster -- the crash of the helicopter carrying the United Nations-led assessment mission to the region, she explained.  The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team had been launched by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to assess conditions in Mongolia.  The team consisted of United Nations agency members, disaster management experts from governments in

the region or donor governments.  The air crash occurred on 14 January 2001 and Ms. McAskie arrived in Ulaan Baatar on 15 January, one day earlier than she was scheduled to arrive.

The assessment team had been sent to determine the extent to which the livestock disaster and the severe weather conditions were translating into a human disaster, Ms. McAskie continued.  The team had divided into two groups.  One group had left by helicopter for the north-west, an area badly affected last year and one of the most severely affected areas this year.  The second group left by land to the south-east.  That team also encountered extremely difficult conditions, having to dig their vehicle out of the snow 15 times in one day. 

The only way for the team to the north-west to visit local towns was by helicopter, Ms. McAskie explained.  They had chartered a local aircraft from Mongolian Airways.  The team was on the last leg of their trip coming from the provincial capital in the north-west, and was making their last few stops.  The helicopter was loaded with 1,000 litres of fuel and seemed to have had some difficulties on landing.  The official investigation was not yet completed and

Ms. McAskie was not yet in a position to comment on the crash.  It appeared, however, that the helicopter had to choose a different landing sight from the one originally planned. 

Of the 23 passengers on board, 14 had survived and some were severely injured, she said.  Nine of the passengers had died, including four United Nations staff members, three Mongolians -- a Member of Parliament, a technician and photographer -- and two Japanese journalists from NHK, the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation.

The Mongolian Government had offered enormous support, Ms. McAskie added, mounting a commission of inquiry within hours of the crash.  Because it was a herding society, the concept of helping your neighbour was deeply engrained in the Mongolian way of life.  "The sense of love and warmth and help from the Mongolian authorities will stay with me for the rest of my life", she said.

Following the accident, a number of additional personnel from OCHA in Geneva were flown to Mongolia to continue the assessment mission, Ms. McAskie said.  They did not want the accident to prevent the international community from being able to come to the assistance of the Mongolian people at the time of their crisis.  The appeal, which was supposed to have been launched on 19 January, would now be launched by the middle of next week.  It was almost completed, and the UNDAC team would be returning to Geneva this weekend.

Ms. McAskie said that her visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was to visit the United Nations team there and had no particular event attached to it.  The situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was slightly in flux, with the recent visit of Kim Jong Il to Shanghai.  Some of things he was saying had indicated that the Democratic People's Republic was prepared to open up.  In that country, however, the definition of "open up" was quite different.  It was an extremely closed society, and had a long way to go.  United Nations staff there worked under extremely difficult conditions.  Public utilities were virtually non-existent and electricity was available only under extreme conditions.  Despite the fact that the Democratic People's Republic was also suffering from a severe winter, most houses were not heated. 

Medical services were also extremely limited in the Democratic People's Republic, she continued.  The only drugs in the country were supplied through the international community and fell far short of meeting broad needs.  Most employment had severely declined following the collapse of an industrial relationship with the Soviet bloc.  People were on some kind of government payroll and were surviving from hand to mouth.  Many survived only on food being distributed by the international community.

The United Nations appeal for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, launched in late November, was close to $400 million, Ms. McAskie said.  Of that amount, some $380 million was for food distribution through the World Food Programme (WFP).  Ms. McAskie was hoping for a generous response to that appeal, since it provided for the major mainstay of the North Korean people.

Judging by the reaction of the international community last year, how much relief would likely come in this year? a correspondent asked.  Last year, while an appeal for some $2.4 million had been launched, only about $230,000 had been collected, Ms. McAskie said.  About $17 million had been announced by neighbouring States and some of it was still coming in.  Japan had contributed the largest

amount -- some $10 million.  The bulk of that amount was being dispersed through a Japanese non-governmental organization.

Some lessons had been learned following that appeal, which was why it was important to communicate that a livestock disaster was a humanitarian disaster in Mongolian terms, Ms McAskie said.  The appeal had been launched in April, because the true extent of the disaster hit at the end of the winter season.  It had been difficult to explain to donors why they should respond to an appeal launched in April for a bad winter.  In western terms, the winter was over and things should be better.  In fact, everything was not all right.  That was why they were trying to launch the appeal much earlier.

Was there any kind of plan for the United Nations to assist in diversifying the Mongolian economy? a correspondent asked.  Ms. McAskie said that the major United Nations agencies in Mongolia were the development agencies.  Mongolia was not viewed as a permanent humanitarian crisis.  The problem in that country was an issue of restructuring the economy and diversification would be a major aspect.  A new Government was in place.  The United Nations was involved in ongoing discussions with the Government about restructuring the economy and development problems.  It would take some time.  It would not be unrealistic to expect that the Government would require humanitarian assistance for a few more years.

Recovering from a livestock disaster was not like recovering from a crop disaster, she continued.  While a good crop could be produced after only one year of good conditions, it took four to five years for a good livestock crop to be produced.

Asked to spell out the human side of the appeal, Ms. McAskie said that when livestock were threatened, herders would do anything to protect them.  Under extreme cold conditions, the herders would go out in the most extreme conditions  -– which had a tremendous impact on their health.  Anything less than 100 heads of cattle was a disaster for a herder family.  Anything less than 200 put a family close to the subsistence level.  Some 30 per cent of human services had been funded through grants from the former Soviet Union.  The once elaborate health and social system no longer existed.  Herders had very little resources to turn to in terms of health care and social services.  Part of the appeal would include the provision of health services for herders, as well as transportation to allow them to access those services.  With the "improvement" of herds, cattle produced more young, putting tremendous strain on pasturage.

In summary, she said, the way the livestock crisis became a human crisis was by an increase in poverty, the breakdown of families, increases in drinking, child abuse and disease.  Recent stories had been published about children in the streets of Ulaan Baatar, surviving the minus-50 degree weather by living in sewers and underground heating systems.

Asked to elaborate on the signs of an opening-up in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ms. McAskie said that control was the big issue and that the top leadership had overall decision-making.  In the 1980s, Kim Jong Il supposedly criticized the steps that China had taken to open its economy.  As Ms. McAskie

flew into Pyongyang, Kim Jong Il was in Shanghai.  The local press in Pyongyang reported that Kim Jong Il had seen the policies of China in regard to its economy and was prepared to pronounce them as being correct.  That was viewed as having great significance.

Was the disaster in Mongolia a natural disaster, or the result of social or other causes? a correspondent asked.  It was very much a natural disaster and a combination of the fact that a bad drought in the summer of 1999 had reduced available pasturage.  The winter of 1999-2000 was the worst in 30 years, resulting in a loss of 2.5 million cattle or 10 per cent of livestock herds.  Another drought in the summer of 2000 was followed by an even more severe winter in 2000-2001.  That combination made for the worst conditions in 60 years.

Is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea still spending a great amount of money on the military? a correspondent asked.  "First of all, I don't think they have a great deal of money", Ms. McAskie said.  Secondly, no one had official statistics.  There was no doubt that social services were under enormous stress and yet the military was present everywhere.  While she was able to see much more of the countryside than she could have four or five years ago, a large number of provinces were still inaccessible for security reasons, indicating major military installations all over the country.  However, she noted that her answer was anecdotal at best.

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