Thank you very much for the honour you have given to the entire
Red Cross and Red Crescent family by inviting me to speak to
this important Ministerial meeting today. And for your important
reference to the crucial role of National Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies as the first line of defence against suffering
and disease.
It is our hope that this will help you see how beneficial a
close relationship with the National Societies is, and how your
work with them can save both lives and livelihoods at home while
contributing to effective preparedness and response to disasters
in other countries.
This cooperative relationship in the countries directly affected
by the Asian earthquake and Tsunami made it possible for our
RCRC National Societies in those countries and the whole Movement
to go into action immediately. As you know well, tens of thousands
of the most vulnerable people are now receiving assistance from
their National Societies. Those National Societies from every
corner of the globe have also gone into action to provide support
to the affected countries, utilising the services of their International
Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
At the outset, the National Societies of the affected countries,
the International Federation and the ICRC quickly reached agreement
on their cooperation in the region, under which the International
Federation will provide the general overview of the regional
operation and provide the strategy and general operation guidelines
for the whole region. It will also hold general responsibility
on communication regarding the overall approach of the Movement
to the issue and function as the main Movement spokesperson.
Our agreement on cooperation is based on an assessment of needs
and the respective assets and capacities of Movement components,
taking into account their historic involvement on the ground
and their respective mandates. Throughout the process, of course,
we also took into account the actions of other agencies and
the need for a thoroughly coordinated response.
Some examples might help show what this means in practice.
- Thousands of trained volunteers are providing relief services
in areas of basic health care, shelter, food and water. The
Indonesian Red Cross has sent over 800 volunteers to Banda Aceh
where they have evacuated victims and provided relief to many
thousands of people and medical treatment to very many more.
- The Sri Lanka Red Cross has mobilised over 5000 volunteers,
who in addition to the provision of immediate relief and medical
needs are carrying out much-needed water and sanitation activities.
- The ICRC is providing operational coordination for the international
response of the components of the Movement in the regions of
North and East Sri Lanka and in the Aceh province of Indonesia.
This will be done in close collaboration with the respective
host National Society and the International Federation.
- Our International Federation has deployed 14 Emergency Response
Units (ERUs) throughout the region. One example is a Water and
Sanitation ERU delivering 75,000 litres of fresh water daily
in Samalanga (Indonesia). Another ERU is providing services
to hundreds of patients daily in Ichtilampattai and Komari in
Sri Lanka.
- Concerning the medium and longer-term perspectives for the
action of the Movement in the North and East of Sri Lanka, it
is expected that ICRC activities in these regions will focus
on water and health support and rehabilitation activities in
rural areas, as well as in shelter and technical support activities
for the population in the camps.
- As to the Aceh Province of Indonesia, the ICRC and the PMI
(Indonesian Red Cross) have expanded the already existing logistic
network and are implementing numerous activities in the field
of water, medical care, food and non food items in urban and
rural areas, as well as in camps. The ICRC has also developed
its family links and tracing activities and plans to resume
its protection activities as soon as possible.
- Red Cross and Red Crescent teams are also at work in many
other countries, with the assistance of the ICRC and the International
Federation, on the task of reuniting families and helping trace
lost loved ones. In some notable cases, National Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies have worked hand-in-hand with their own
governments to evacuate and assist their own nationals in the
stricken areas. I cannot recall a disaster which has impacted
on so many countries around the world, and one of the great
strengths of our network is that it can provide support everywhere,
at any time.
The International Federation and the ICRC are already working
to ensure that this global response of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement is effectively coordinated, and meets the
needs of the most vulnerable in the affected communities. We
also advocate a response which is provided with full transparency,
and which joins the immediate response needs of affected communities
to their longer term needs and the related issue of effective
disaster preparedness.
Our coordination within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
will be fully integrated with the global coordination organised
by our partners in the United Nations system. We attach great
importance to this action, and will be ensuring that our work
together delivers the response and preparedness needed by the
most vulnerable.
Effective coordination is a prerequisite to a dynamic and successful
relief operation. The International Federation and the ICRC,
as active participants in the United Nations' Inter Agency Standing
Committee, are bringing the breadth of their experience to support
this work. In doing so, we note that coordination must be comprehensive
and include, among other things, information sharing, resource
mobilisation, and service delivery in order to avoid any gap
or duplication in humanitarian response. Moreover, coordination
does not apply only to the emergency phase, but is just as important
in rehabilitation and recovery phases.
Our global work includes, uniquely, the integration of the perspectives
and special requirements of the local communities. In this context,
it is important to recall that the National Societies of the
affected countries, unlike even the best-intentioned external
relief agencies, are present throughout and beyond the emergency
phase. In each of the affected countries, the provision of emergency
relief has been greatly facilitated by the speed with which
the Governments of the affected countries have integrated their
National Societies into the planning and implementation of relief
programs. This is a clear indication of the value of the auxiliary
role of all National Societies, and I trust that the lesson
which can be learned is that one of integration which will be
applied worldwide.
I take this opportunity to express our thanks to the Governments
concerned for their recognition of the value of integrating
their National Societies in this work. I also note that this
meeting precedes, by less than a week, the important World Conference
on Disaster Reduction in Japan and takes place at the same time
as the International Meeting for Small Island Developing States
in Mauritius. We will be reiterating some of the lessons learned
from the response to the Tsunami at those conferences, especially
because of the clarity of the need for well-developed programs
for community-based disaster preparedness.
The generosity of governments, the general public, corporate
donors and others will enable recovery and rehabilitation to
build stronger preparedness for the future as well. The International
Federation is an active advocate for preparedness, as an essential
part of risk reduction. With good preparedness, local communities
can play their essential roles when disasters strike. As the
record shows - and Bangladesh and the Caribbean islands are
good examples - preparedness can save many lives in even the
worst of disasters.
We all have to take lessons from this disaster to the many other
humanitarian challenges which place communities at risk around
the world today. The International Federation, its member National
Societies and the ICRC will continue to give high priority to
those tasks, and to the need for effective coordination of the
work of the international community to address those community
needs.
Nothing we can say here today can restore the lives lost, but
we can commit ourselves to helping save lives in the future.
If one thing is certain, it is that earthquakes like this one
will recur. We owe it to our own future generations - in all
countries - to support strong community-based programs designed
to prepare for and minimise the risk of such disasters.
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