STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. NIRUPAM SEN, AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY AND

 PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIATO THE UNITED NATIONS ON AGENDA ITEM 73(A), (C) & (D):

STRENGTHENING OF THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AND DISASTER RELIEF ASSISTANCE OF THE

UNITED NATIONS, INCLUDING SPECIAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE AT THE 60TH SESSION OF THE

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY  ON NOVEMBER 14, 2005

Mr. President,

At the outset I would like to thank the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the reports that have been prepared for the discussions under this item. India would also like to associate itself with the statement made by the representative of Jamaica on behalf of the Group of 77.

Mr. President,

This last year has unfortunately witnessed several major natural disasters in different parts of the world. Some of these have also affected India. 

The earthquake that occurred in the northern reaches of the Indian sub-continent on October 8, 2005, was particularly devastating.  Given the magnitude of the human tragedy, as a neighbour and member of the international community, India promptly conveyed its readiness to extend any assistance, including rescue and relief, that Government of Pakistan may deem appropriate. During the meeting on ‘Assistance to communities affected by the earthquake in South Asia’, held in Geneva on October 26, India also pledged its contribution of US $25 million as assistance to Government of Pakistan for relief and rehabilitation of victims affected by the earthquake. These funds are being made available by the Government of India to Government of Pakistan for providing relief to victims, for building homes for rehabilitating people, for reconstructing the infrastructure and restoring essential services. The Government of Pakistan is welcome to use these funds for sourcing supplies of building materials such as cement and other items from India. The technology available in India for prefabricating earthquake resistant shelters can also be accessed via this fund.

Mr. President,

One of the most important proposals for consideration under this agenda item is that of the improvement of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund (CERF). We have repeatedly seen that timely and adequate funding of relief effort in the initial phases is crucial for saving lives and providing assistance to victims of sudden natural calamities. The report of the Secretary-General analyses the funding shortages faced by the majority of flash appeals, especially in the initial phases of emergency operations. Late delivery of funds constrains efforts to mount a rapid response and to save lives in the early days and months. An improved CERF would indeed make humanitarian funding predictable.  Moreover, by allocating one-third of the Fund’s grant facility to under-funded emergencies, the new Fund is expected to address the needs of countries that do not have the benefit of a ‘CNN effect’. The report has provided details of funding received in the first month in response to flash appeals during 2002-2005, as a percentage of total requirements in each case. In eight cases the funding received in the first month was less than 20% of what was needed. The report also cites the case of slow onset crises such as the desert locust problem in the Sahel. In the case of the desert locust problem, timely action would have saved about $90 million later on. We, therefore, agree with the Secretary-General on the need to improve CERF and to have it operational by early next year. 

It is important that the new CERF continue to operate in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/182 and its Guiding Principles. We have noted that the report of the Secretary-General has included a section on the governance of the Fund along these lines.  The General Assembly has on numerous occasions, including in the Guiding Principles of resolution 46/182, stated that humanitarian assistance should be provided with the consent of the affected country and on the basis of an appeal by it. It also emphasizes that humanitarian assistance must be provided in accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality. Moreover, coordination of all types of external assistance must be done by the recipient government. This would ensure better coherence and coordination of the relief effort.

Mr. President,

While we support the idea of improving the CERF, we find that the report fails to outline clear criteria and guidelines for allocation of funds from the new CERF. The report states that the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) will approve all grants awarded by the Fund in accordance with its overall objectives. In case of competing demands, the discretion would seem to vest with the ERC. We feel that detailed criteria and guidelines for allocation of funds need to be developed, with the approval of Member States, so that the ERC would need to use discretion only in rare cases. In his annual report to the General Assembly on expenditures made from the improved CERF, the ERC should be required to provide justification for such exceptions for consideration of and future guidance by Member States.

The report claims that the modernized Fund will contribute to the realization of other elements of humanitarian reform, including strengthening of humanitarian coordination and response capacity. It does not, however, help us to understand how this would be achieved.

Mr. President,

The new CERF has set itself an ambitious target of US $500 million. Thus, as compared to the existing arrangement of a $50 million revolving facility, the improved CERF aims to raise US $450 million on a yearly basis. It is presumed that contributions made to CERF would not come at the expense of funding for development activities, but would be new and additional to such funding. Moreover, CERF focuses only on relief activities. The improved CERF would not cover the rehabilitation and reconstruction needs of disaster-affected countries. While improving the capacity to provide relief in the wake of disasters, there is also need to examine how the gap between relief and development can be bridged.  The Secretary-General in his report on ‘The transition from relief to development’ (A/60/89) has also highlighted the need for adequate and timely funding of transitions to meet enduring humanitarian, recovery, and peace consolidation priorities, while simultaneously focusing on building national and local capacities.

The General Assembly resolution on ‘Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review of Operational Activities for development of the UN System’ (Resolution 59/250) urged the UN agencies and donor community, in coordination with national authorities, to begin planning the transition to development and taking measures supportive of that transition, such as institutional and capacity-building, from the beginning of the relief phase. The resolution stressed the need for transitional activities to be undertaken under national ownership through the development of national capacities at all levels to manage the transition process. There is need to look at the issue of national capacity development and national ownership as a priority in post-conflict situations.

The Secretary-General’s report focusing on the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster (A/60/86) identifies the lessons learned from the humanitarian efforts and key issues emerging from the ongoing recovery efforts in the affected countries. Given the scale of the damage caused by the Tsunami last December, the recovery effort would need to continue over a period of time. General Assembly resolution 59/279 on the Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster has emphasized the need for the international community to maintain its focus beyond emergency relief and to support the medium and long-term rehabilitation, reconstruction and risk-reduction efforts of the Governments of the affected countries. We fully endorse this.  Early warning is a crucial dimension.  We are prepared to share our experience with other countries in the region: an early warning system against Tsunamis devised by Indian scientists is being set up in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and is expected to become operational during 2006. 

Mr. President,

The Secretary-General’s report on international cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of relief to development (A/60/227) states that it is possible to close the gap between relief and development and transform disasters into opportunities for sustainable development. This is the case when efforts are made, among others, to support local and national recovery processes at an early stage. India is convinced of the need for continuing international engagement in the post-disaster period, for restoring livelihoods, building resilience and reducing vulnerability. We hope that the Secretary-General will focus on meeting this long-felt need even as we work towards improving CERF.  International cooperation in tackling natural disasters makes us realize once again that ‘the world is one family’ as the ancient Indian thinkers had written.  This gives life to international solidarity and hope to multilateralism by making these a part of the lives of ordinary people.  As in the past, India is again coordinating for the G-77 the resolution on ‘International cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development’.

Thank you, Mr. President.