It
is now 18 months since the tsunami crashed onto shores around
the Indian Ocean, the most dramatic natural disaster in modern
times. Attention has moved elsewhere, but for the people affected,
the tsunami is not over. What is happening to the devastated
communities, are people getting back on their feet?
After a slow first year, there is now real and visible progress
in the Herculean recovery effort. In Sri Lanka, people are moving
into homes that they themselves have built. In the Maldives,
new houses are being equipped with rainwater harvesting kits
and connected to new sewage systems to protect fragile freshwater
resources. And timber obtained from sustainable overseas forestry
is arriving in Aceh, preventing reconstruction from jeopardizing
Indonesia’s pristine rainforest.
How is the immense generosity and compassion of millions of
people around the world translated into a sustainable project
for recovery and reconstruction? Let me point to three guiding
principles that we, other agencies and governments in the affected
countries must apply.
First, recovery and reconstruction is not one-dimensional, it
is physical, psychological, economic and environmental. The
best results come when agencies manage to consider these in
a holistic manner, through the design of their own activities
or through collaboration with others. A prime example, mentioned
above, is when the homeless are in charge of rebuilding their
homes, with financial and material support and technical supervision.
It is quicker, costs less and builds more local skills and capacities
than when outside contractors are used. Perhaps most importantly,
instead of waiting passively, people are helped to overcome
the trauma of the tsunami as they literally take charge of rebuilding
their own lives.
Second, recovery and reconstruction must be aligned with local
plans and priorities. One day all international agencies will
have left, what remains must be managed and maintained by local
governments and organisations. What is not adapted to their
aspirations, norms and practices will not be sustained. That
does not mean a passive acceptance of what is contrary to new
and sound approaches. As an example, the Sri Lankan Government
decided quickly after the tsunami to enforce uninhabited coastal
buffer zones with the well-intended purpose of protecting coastal
communities from future tsunamis. The inevitable consequence
was however that fisher folk had to be relocated to inland areas,
far from their livelihoods. A constructive dialogue with the
government contributed to a relaxation of the original policy
and a new disaster management plan requiring only limited relocation
of vulnerable communities.
Third, striving for accountability is central. It is not enough
to know how many houses, hospitals or kilometres of road that
have been rebuilt. Physical results tell us little about the
health, psychological status or income of the survivors of the
tsunami. It gives us no information on whether the interests
of women are protected as land titles and other assets are distributed,
or if the special needs of the elderly and disabled are being
addressed. For this reason, the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent, WHO and UNDP are working with governments in five
of the affected countries to establish a system of surveys and
indicators that will tell us whether recovery is delivering
the right results for those affected or whether we should redesign
and change our programmes. Ultimately, this will enable us to
be fully responsible and accountable for the outcome of our
efforts.
Based on these experiences, something new and encouraging now
seems to emerge. We notice an increasing sense of shared and
common purpose among agencies and governments, leading to new
and promising partnerships. This found a tangible expression
earlier in 2006, when nine international organisations, including
the World Bank, the World Meteorological Organisation and the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent, presented a joint
offer of technical and advisory support to states around the
Indian Ocean, with the purpose of establishing an early warning
system. Each organisation would provide a critical element that
only when combined with those of others would make a real difference
in protecting communities at risk, not only from tsunamis but
against the range of other and more frequent natural hazards.
For the Red Cross and Red Crescent, this meant assisting our
national members in developing risk-aware and disaster-prepared
communities. Already, several governments have formally accepted
our offer.
Recovery and reconstruction continues. Our responsibility is
to transform the trust invested in us into safer and better
protected communities. Our donors, governments and the survivors
of the tsunami have the right to expect that from us.
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Johan
Schaar, Special Representative for the Tsunami Operation
– International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies
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