Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations
Statement delivered by Encho Gospodinov, International Federation delegate to the UN, to the United Nations Economic and Social Council substantive session 2002, New York
15 July 2002



Mr. President,
I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Economic and Social Council on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The twin themes of "reaching the most vulnerable" and "the transition from relief to development" are of central importance to us in the context of co-ordination of humanitarian assistance.

The nature of crisis is changing, and the environment in which humanitarian interventions have to be carried out has become increasingly risky. Thus it is increasingly important to find ways in which isolated vulnerable populations can be provided with often much needed assistance and support. The International Federation understands the complexity of gaining access to such populations in many cases; we support the laudable efforts made by the United Nations and others to break that isolation.

Insofar as we can make a contribution to improving access to the vulnerable, and to specially affected groups in particular, we submit this can best be done before the emergency. By investing in National Societies and their local structures, we can contribute to the resilience of communities, enhance their capacity for self-help, and enable them to better reach places where they can find assistance.

The International Federation is working hard at improving its capacity to respond to emergencies, and to natural disasters in particular. This has entailed mobilising the capabilities of our member National Societies and improving the capacity for co-ordination through our Secretariat in Geneva. More importantly, we are building capacity building in National Societies that are likely to be affected by natural disasters, emphasising their ability to recruit, train, motivate, deploy and manage volunteers.

Increasingly, however, we are aware of the limitations of this approach, which essentially treats natural disasters as discreet events when, clearly, many such emergencies occur within a context of overall change and development processes. As a result, we have renewed the emphasis we place on activities that have always been important to the Red Cross and Red Crescent, - disaster preparedness, prevention and risk reduction - all of which are pre-disaster actions designed to lessen the impact of natural disasters, allowing individuals and communities to reconnect to resume their day-to-day lives.

The International Federation is fully committed to the co-ordination of emergency humanitarian assistance, and participates actively in the InterAgency Standing Committee and its subsidiary bodies. In addition we place great emphasis on developing our relations and direct co-operation with agencies of the IASC and others. I should like to note that specific agreements have been - or are about to be - signed between the International Federation and the PanAmerican Health Organisation, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Environment Programme. Agreements with other organisations are in the pipeline. Co-ordination and co-operation amongst organisations must - if it is to have any value - influence work at the practical level where benefits to the most vulnerable can be produced and delivered.

In order to improve our operational responses and our planning and co-ordination tools, the International Federation advocates for increased clarity around the legal framework within which we all operate. In light of this we have initiated a study of existing legislation governing international disaster response - the IDRL Project

Those of us involved in international relief operations are all too aware of some of the practical difficulties of accessing beneficiaries and delivering fast and effective assistance. Too often these difficulties are the result of inefficient administrative or legal procedures of lack of awareness of existing international obligations.

Whilst there are many legal instruments, standards and resolutions in place to facilitate disaster response, the absence of a comprehensive legal framework makes it difficult to identify, promote, evaluate and improve these laws.

The IDRL Project aims to address this through the collation and publication of these laws within the framework of International Disaster Response Law. This will facilitate the second aspect of the project - the identification of any weaknesses and gaps in current laws and an assessment of their effectiveness in the field.

I would like to highlight a few important aspects about IDRL.

Firstly, the project is not aimed at creating "new law" or establishing a new convention - rather it aims at collecting and analysing the law that already exists in this area. It will draw attention to the areas which still remain problematic and encourage the international community to find solutions.

Secondly, effective disaster response that truly reaches and benefits the most vulnerable is not only about facilitation of humanitarian assistance by States. Humanitarian actors must take responsibility for their own conduct and accountability. Important initiatives in this area have already been undertaken such as the Sphere Project's Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response, the Code of Conduct for the international Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief and the Humanitarian Accountability Project. Whilst these initiatives do not establish new international laws they demonstrate the commitment of the humanitarian sector to a two-way process of accountability.

A final comment on this subject: the project is wholly inclusive, involving States, United Nations agencies, and NGOs in collecting relevant materials, gathering valuable experience from the field and in discussing ways for better recognition and development of this important area of law. We want to call on the wealth of experience developed by all parts of the international community, to constitute a body of law that will be of direct benefit to the victims of disasters, in a true spirit of human solidarity. We will be presenting IDRL at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in December 2003, with the anticipation that both States and the Movement will support further work in this area.

The International Federation is a network of 178 National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies, assuring the organisation a near-universal presence and capacity to respond to emergency needs arising from humanitarian crises and natural disasters. The national and local character of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, their permanent organisation and their ability to access the network in case of need for support enables them to play a role at all stages of the disaster management cycle - from pre-disaster risk reduction, mitigation and preparedness measures, through emergency response when disaster strikes, to post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation programming. Developing, strengthening and mobilising this network in co-operation and co-ordination with the OCHA and the agencies of the United Nations system is our contribution to improved humanitarian action - and to the individuals around the world who are threatened by or victims of disasters.

Thank you for your attention.