Background
The General Assembly met this morning to continue its consideration of the strengthening of United Nations coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, including special economic assistance. For background, see Press Release GA/10176 issued on 20 October.
It would also begin its consideration of the following items: follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children; towards global partnerships; follow-up to the outcomes of major United Nations conferences in the economic, social and related fields; the Decade to Roll Back Malaria; and global road safety crisis.
The report of the Secretary-General on the
follow-up to the United Nations special session on children (document A/58/333) describes progress achieved in realizing the commitments set out in the final document of the twenty-seventh special session of the Assembly, entitled “A world fit for children”, with a view to identifying problems and constraints, as well as to make recommendations on the action needed to achieve further progress.
The report highlights four major goals, namely, promoting healthy lives; providing quality education; protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence; and combating HIV/AIDS. In the “Way Forward”, it concludes that the limelight of the special session is fading, but the real work of implementing the Plan of Action, in fact, has just started. The progress made to date represents a good start, but tremendous challenges lie ahead. All stakeholders -governments, parliamentarians, civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), families, children and the international community -– need to renew their commitment to children and take concrete actions to protect and fulfil children’s rights.
The report also calls on all countries to consider establishing or strengthening appropriate national institutions for the promotion and protection of children’s rights. The Secretary-General has also proposed to provide a
in-depth report to the Assembly every five years (2006, 2011 and 2016) based on national, regional and global reviews of progress.
The report of the Secretary-General on
enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners, in particular the private sector (document A/58/227) outlines how partnerships between the United Nations and non-State actors, including businesses, foundations and other private sector organizations, play an increasingly important role. The report discusses partnerships in various forms, ranging from time-bound projects involving a small number of actors, to global initiatives including a multitude of actors. Partnerships have the potential to complement the Organization’s efforts to achieve its objectives while, at the same time, contributing to its renewal by introducing new working methods. To that end, efforts are currently under way to scale up promising approaches and to learn from experiences gained so far.
According to the report, the Assembly’s resolution 56/76 stresses that efforts to meet the challenges of globalization can benefit from enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and the private sector, in particular, which could work to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all. In addition, the report emphasizes the need for international cooperation to strengthen the participation of enterprises, especially small- and medium-scale enterprises, business associations, foundations and NGOs from developing countries and nations with economies in transition.
However, to fully make use of contributions by potential partnerships to the Organization’s work, it is necessary to implement a more coherent and systematic approach to developing and supporting partnerships across the United Nations system. Such an approach should be geared towards helping the Organization respond to challenges, including the need to provide stronger incentives for the development of partnerships, to share best practices in a systematic fashion, and to develop a stronger partnership-brokering skill-base, among other things.
Furthermore, given that various parts of the Organization are involved, promoting a common approach to partnerships requires efforts in internal consultation and coordination. The Partnership Office, which will bring together the Global Compact Office and the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP), will be well placed to build on lessons learned so far, as well as enhance quality assurance and provide a more solid institutional framework.
The report of the Secretary-General on
iIntegrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields (document A/58/359), which recalls that the General Assembly, in its resolution 57/270B, provided for a framework for enhanced coherence among the various implementation and follow-up processes. The presentreport, which is focusesd on identifying the core elements of the framework essential for integrating these follow-up processes and for ensuring a sharper focus on implementation. It also , also highlights those aspects of the resolution that require special attention during the Assembly’s fifty-eighthAssembly session, particularly with regard to intergovernmental bodies. Among its recommendations, the report says tthe Assembly may wish to initiate an assessment of the functioning of the follow-up mechanisms established in chapter III of the Monterrey Consensus.Also before Tthe
Assembly will be the Secretary-General’s report
, entitled “on the 2001-2010: Decade to rRoll bBack malaria in developing cCountries, particularly in Africa -– progress on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 57/294 (document A/58/136 and Corr.1), whichwas prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) and contains an update on the status of implementation of recommendations made in the resolution. ItT draws significantly on the joint WHO /United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
2003 Africa Malaria report; reviews the state of resource mobilization and financing malaria control; provides examples of successful ways in which disease controls had been incorporated into sector-wide approaches for health and development planning; and describes efforts to strengthen the “Roll Back Malaria” partnership.
Malaria is preventable, treatable and curable, the report says, and despite the great complexity of the disease, major advances in control can be achieved immediately in many countries using existing tools. The development of new tools, such as a vaccine against the disease, deserve continuing support. But even with substantial investment and very good fortune, an effective vaccine is still a number of years away.
In the meantime, malaria-endemic countries require substantial support to expand coverage of existing control tools, especially ones with proven impact in Africa: insecticide-treated nets, prompt and effective treatment and intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy. The report recommends that the Assembly, among other things, call on the international community to ensure the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria receives increased funding to enable sound plans to control malaria in endemic countries to be implemented and sustained in a way that contributes to health system development.
Also before the Assembly is the Secretary-General’s report on global road safety crisis (document A/58/228), which stresses that road traffic injuries now posed a global public health crisis that required urgent action at the national and international levels. It describes the gravity of the problem; the health, social and economic implications; and the risk factors and determinants that predisposed certain groups to vulnerability to road traffic injuries.
Stressing that road traffic injuries were a global problem affecting all sectors of society, the report notes that, to date, road safety has received insufficient attention at both the national and international levels. That has resulted in part from a lack of information on the magnitude of the problem and its preventability; a fatalistic approach to road crashes; and a lack of the political responsibility and multidisciplinary collaboration needed to tackle it effectively.
Among other things, the report recommends that the Assembly call for efforts by the United Nations system to address the global road safety crisis; call on Member States, particularly developing countries that bear a large proportion of the burden of road traffic injuries, to address the problem and reduce its adverse consequences; encourage each State to assess its own road traffic safety problem and situation; and recommend that States aim to ensure an availability of sufficient resources commensurate with the size of the problem in their countries.
Statements
ABDULAZIZ BIN NASER AL-SHAMSI (
United Arab Emirates) commended efforts exerted by relevant bodies in the United Nations to coordinate humanitarian assistance, and expressed his support for measures taken by the Organization to spread awareness of the importance of safety and security of its employees as they carried out their noble work. He reiterated the importance of international efforts to strengthen emergency and development assistance for developing and poor countries, which were most affected by disasters and armed conflicts due to the vulnerability of their economical and ecological systems. In addition, he called on donor nations to implement their commitments to help affected countries with a development strategy, which would aid them in building systems capable of dealing more effectively with natural disasters.
The United Arab Emirates, he said, had always paid its financial obligations to the United Nations and peacekeeping budgets and had donated to humanitarian and development activities. Through a number of specialized national institutions, his country had provided emergency relief to developing nations and those affected by natural disasters and conflict. It was estimated that the country spent
3.5 per cent of its gross national income on foreign aid, which included emergency relief assistance, donations and loans to 50 African, Asian and European countries. Further, his delegation was concerned about the dire humanitarian conditions of the Palestinian people, caused by the Israeli policies of killing, destruction and closure of cities. He called on the international community to compel Israel to stop the building of the separation wall. Lastly, he asked that Israel allow international humanitarian organizations to deliver needed emergency assistance to the Palestinian people.
SICHAN SIV (United States) said there remained considerable challenges to the provision of humanitarian assistance and protection to all communities affected by conflict or disaster. The lack of safe access to many of those communities around the globe continued to plague humanitarian agencies and cost lives, including those of humanitarian workers. The United States held the improvement of security conditions in Iraq among its highest priorities. Other challenges included the need to implement the United Nations Code of Conduct to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of those receiving assistance; the need to uphold humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence; and the need to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid.
Stressing the need to adhere to policies of good donorship, he said the United States remained committed to base its funding on sound assessment and prioritization of needs on the ground. As one of the largest donors to the multilateral system, the United States also encouraged all donors to work together in continuing to strengthen the strategic and operational coordination role of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He pointed out that while many people had no choice but to live on disaster prone lands, the responsibility for governments and members of the United Nations was clear -- each country should assess its own vulnerabilities to hazards and prepare to mitigate to the best of its ability. Where the dangers were greatest, he stressed the need to invest in mitigation measures to lessen the impact of natural hazards and install early warning systems, as well as insist on the enforcement of appropriate building codes. At the international level, he called on all to work with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
GILBERT LAURIN (Canada) said the events of the past year had demonstrated that the need for concerted and effective humanitarian action had never been stronger. Member States could do much to support the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the dedicated humanitarian professionals working for the world body’s other agencies, as well as for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs. Key issues requiring urgent collective attention included safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel, respect for international humanitarian law, access to affected populations, and the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
He said that while the United Nations had made important progress over the past year in developing measures to improve staff safety and security, the senseless attacks on the Organization’s headquarters in Baghdad had made clear that those efforts needed to be strengthened. That attack -– “a new low in respect for human life” -– demonstrated the need not only for improved threat assessment capacity but for a review of current approaches to security management. He also stressed that States and other actors should step up to effect relevant policies where legal gaps existed. The dangers faced by humanitarian workers could be seen as part of a broader trend towards widespread lack of respect for international humanitarian law.
“Our most effective response in most circumstances remains the promotion and implementation of humanitarian law and refugee law”, he continued. Those efforts should be undertaken in tandem with support for the practical steps humanitarian agencies could take to enhance protection in the field. He went on to highlight relevant inter-agency efforts and responses that had been mounted to address cross-cutting humanitarian challenges such as the fight against HIV/AIDS. But he stressed that the inter-agency rivalry and competition for finite resources persisted. Further efforts were required to address weaknesses and enhance coordination and coherence among humanitarian actors, namely through broader beneficiary participation, greater accountability of donors and affected States, and harmonization of reporting requirements.
ADOLFO AGUILAR ZINSER (
Mexico) said the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of humanitarian assistance demonstrated that natural disasters had tripled in frequency during the past decades. Yet the number of deaths from natural disasters had declined due to preventive action taken. That showed that work undertaken to prevent natural disasters could help reduce its negative impact. Therefore, it was important to continue to strengthen humanitarian assistance and enhance United Nations system capabilities, while strengthening the Organization’s role as coordinator of international efforts in affected nations. In Mexico and Central America, cooperation had resulted in positive results. In cases of natural disasters, assistance should be part of a long-term framework. It was important to view the problem through sustainable development, as that was the best defence against natural disasters. Sustainable development gave nations the tools to improve their situation, and reduced the vulnerability of nations to disasters. In addition, it was necessary to work towards eradicating poverty, as poor nations were far more vulnerable to disasters and their effects.
The General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, along with the Security Council, had a special responsibility to protect humanitarian personnel, he stated. In that regard, the Security Council was interested in including in its mandate provisions to protect humanitarian workers. In that regard, it had been slow. It was not until the recent adoption of resolution 1502 that the Council had dealt explicitly with the protection of personnel in armed conflict. The 19 August attack had underscored the urgent need to create instruments to protect humanitarian workers. The situation of humanitarian personnel had been deteriorating in recent years, with an increasing number of deliberate attacks. Ensuring their safety was an obligation of warring parties and should be a fundamental task. He called on the United Nations to continue to strengthen coordination with NGOs and other bodies doing work in that field.
MICHAEL OYUGI (Kenya) said that protecting relief workers and providing them with a safe and secure environment was among the prerequisites for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. He supported United Nations efforts to ensure such safety, as well as to ensure that those found responsible for attacks on relief workers be quickly brought to justice. He noted, however, that international humanitarian efforts were facing other challenges, including ongoing conflict, natural disasters such as drought and flood, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. With relief operations and emergency situations becoming more complex, it was necessary to rethink the mechanisms aimed at ensuring cooperation and coherence among and between humanitarian actors.
Regional and national response actors should also enhance cooperation and exchange of information procedures so as to better ensure coordination of relief efforts, particularly regarding natural disasters, he continued. Kenya had established its own disaster preparedness agency, which operated from within the Office of the President. Kenya had also hosted the first regional meeting for disaster management in 2000, and that had now become and annual event.
He supported the need for gender mainstreaming throughout the full range of emergency humanitarian operations -- from the start of conflict right through to resolution and reconstruction. His country had recognized the issue of sexual abuse in the field, and hoped that United Nations agencies and staff as well as other humanitarian actors abided by relevant international rules and guidelines. Finally, he said that while he supported the recommendations outlined in the Secretary-General’s reports, he also believed that for humanitarian assistance and aid to be of use, it must be timely, adequate, predictable and supported by adequate resources. More often than not, humanitarian responses had been slow, sporadic and unwieldy, thus undercutting their effectiveness.
GABRIEL FUKS (Argentina) said the sustained trust the White Helmets Initiative had enjoyed from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would facilitate even more intense collaboration in the future. The White Helmets had proven in their activities and results to be a valuable mechanism in areas of cooperation, financing and mobilization of resources. Argentina had planned to introduce a draft resolution on the White Helmets Initiative, which he believed provided an excellent opportunity for his Government to reflect its commitment towards peace and the fight against hunger and extreme poverty. It was also an opportunity to express the conviction that the White Helmets Initiative deserved to continue receiving the sustained support of all members of the international community.
The active participation of civil society in the United Nations activities was an indispensable requirement for the success of humanitarian and disaster relief missions. That participation not only mitigated damages, but also helped to avoid unwanted situations. The availability of White Helmet Volunteers was one of many convergent lines of action carried out by different countries. He insisted the time had come to reaffirm solidarity. That was especially true for the countries that had received the solidarity and support of different actors. It was important for the international community to continue to debate on the nature of its role in such circumstances, and the profile of volunteering, as well as take part in international efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by carrying out humanitarian activities in natural or man-made emergencies.
KOICHI HARAGUCHI (
Japan) said that despite efforts by humanitarian workers, there were cases when their work did not fully produce expected results, mostly due to lack of coordination among donors and United Nations agencies tackling the same crises from different angles. Therefore, close coordination and a seamless transition from humanitarian assistance to reconstruction were crucial to achieving effective results. In addition, it was vital that humanitarian and development assistance be implemented through the spectrum of the conflict and post-conflict stages of any humanitarian crises. Focusing on assisting people, rather than adhering to institutional mandates, would produce results that addressed problems in their entirety. As such, Japan had launched an innovative initiative to provide comprehensive regional development assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at implementing specific, feasible projects that emphasized regional recovery and community empowerment, in close cooperation with agencies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Regardless of how efficiently humanitarian work was coordinated, humanitarian assistance could not be carried out without adequate financial resources, he stated. It was, therefore, important to ensure public understanding of humanitarian crises, making it easier to rally support for contributions. In addition, it was important to increase the number of new donors as to enhance geographical balance with respect to humanitarian personnel employed by United Nations organizations. Japan hoped that OCHA and other agencies would further improve ways to address forgotten crises more effectively. For its part, Japan continued to extend humanitarian assistance to regions less in the public eye, such as southern Africa. Regarding natural disasters, relief was only a part of the answer. Reduction of natural disasters, specifically through mitigation, prevention and preparedness were also critical.
VLADIMIR TSALKO, Chairman of the Committee on the Problems of the Consequences of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant at the Council of Ministers of Belarus, said his country, where nearly 2 million people still lived in the contaminated areas of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, continued to undertake considerable efforts aimed at minimizing the impact of that catastrophe. Every year the country allocated resources to address the post-Chernobyl problems comparable with education, healthcare and defence expenditures. Since 1991, more than $13 billion had been spent to alleviate the impacts of Chernobyl, and the estimated total damage amounted to $235 billion. It was evident that those additional compelling expenditures could be otherwise allocated for the social and economic development of the country.
He said, due to consistent and efficient measures at the national level, the country had managed to minimize the impact of the radiation factor. However, the Chernobyl disaster had entailed a range of complex problems for the health sector, and the nature management and economic development of the affected areas. There was some degree of uncertainty with regard to safeguarding the good health of the people in the contaminated areas and to the measures which should be undertaken in that field. There was still no common opinion at the international level regarding the long-term impact of low levels of exposure on people and that was a source of concern. He invited the international community to provide assistance, as well as to support the draft resolution on Chernobyl.
KIM SAM-HOON (Republic of Korea) said the United Nations had unparalleled authority and expertise in bringing life-saving assistance to people in the aftermath of disasters, civil strife and conflict. His country had actively supported and taken part in those efforts. It had also supported the central role played by OCHA in humanitarian advocacy, policy and coordination, as well as the CAP -– Consolidated Appeal Process -- and other mechanisms established to strengthen international cooperation for improved emergency preparedness and response. The Assembly’s deliberation on strengthening the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance followed a sobering year. The need for the United Nations to continue in its mission of leading humanitarian assistance around the world had not diminished.
He said the world must do more than condemn the 19 August attack in Baghdad. The United Nations must emerge with a strengthened rather than weakened resolve to carry on. He called on Member States to support United Nations efforts by making sure that the atrocity of 19 August did not go unpunished. He stressed that while the current focus remained on Iraq and a few other high profile cases, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which had reached crisis levels in many developing countries, must not be forgotten. The fight against HIV/AIDS must be integrated into efforts to overcome complex emergencies in those countries. He added that humanitarian assistance should be seen in the long-term perspective of rehabilitation and development. In that regard, the transition from relief to development was an important area of work for the United Nations in coordinating humanitarian assistance.
OCHIR ENKHTSETSEG (Mongolia) said the extent and nature of humanitarian developments and challenges had become increasingly complex over the past few years. Emergencies were exacerbated by conflicts, both protracted and emerging, epidemics like HIV/AIDS and natural disasters. Such new challenges required effective, adequate and timely responses. In order to be adequate, she continued, humanitarian assistance must be commensurate with the needs of a given emergency, equitably distributed and effectively managed.
That meant that there needed to be improved methods of assessing humanitarian crises, she continued. A common tool for analysing and diagnosing a given situation must be developed and consistently applied. That would help restore the trust of donors in the value of assessments and contribute towards ensuring a more equitable distribution of humanitarian assistance. Another area that required attention was the need to develop definitions that clearly identified eligible flows and provided qualitative description of humanitarian assistance, to redress the present disturbing situation that occurred when various uses for such assistance blurred the line between it and official development assistance (ODA). In that regard, her delegation supported the Economic and Social Council’s call for humanitarian assistance to be provided in a way that did not undercut resources made available for development cooperation.
Turning to natural disaster preparedness and response capacity, she said that even though advances had been made towards developing better knowledge about hazardous conditions, and investment in protective measures was on the rise, capacity-building to enhance preparedness for and reduce the impact of natural disasters remained a major challenge. That was particularly true for developing countries. For a country with extremely low population density, vast territory and weak infrastructure, Mongolia was also highly susceptible to natural disasters, including drought, forest fires, earthquakes and floods. For the past four years, the country had been hit by extremely harsh winters followed by droughts in the summers. The Government had developed, along with the UNDP and Luxembourg, a longer-term strategy for disaster preparedness and management.
YERZHAN KH. KAZYKHANOV (
Kazakhstan) said the report prepared regarding Chernobyl gave fresh impetus to implement initiatives in health, socio-economic and environmental development in the region. He welcomed steps to the Russian Federation -- and the results achieved were a good example of teamwork. The creation of a local centre for social and physiological rehabilitation, and the aiding in development of agriculture in the region, indicated a serious approach to finding effective ways of addressing the problems associated with the Chernobyl accident. He commended the assistance given by the donor community to study the consequences of Chernobyl, saying it was both timely and essential. The problem of Chernobyl, he added, still needed further coordination.
He called for enhancing information activities to draw the international community’s attention to events such as Chernobyl. His country supported declaring 26 April a day to commemorate the victims of the accident, and also supported the current Chernobyl resolution before the Assembly. The Chernobyl tragedy had affected his country, where a testing ground was located and where
500 nuclear devices were tested, causing harm to people and the environment. Over 1.5 million people had been exposed to high radiation and, since 1950, the degree of infant mortality had increased and life expectancy had decreased. While he appreciated the support provided, there was an acute need to mobilize additional financial resources. Chernobyl continued to be a problem for the nations most affected and the world, as a whole. Minimizing the effects of the tragedy involved implementation of decisions already taken on the problem. He called for a new impetus to improve coordination at the national, regional and global levels.
RAMÓN A. MORALES (
Panama) said that his statement would highlight the
subregional alliance for sustainable development in Central America, which represented the commitment of the region to that end and focused on efforts to achieve greater and more effective agreement on macroeconomic policies and modernization of transportation, agricultural and communications infrastructure. Panama had witnessed a significant reduction in non-reimbursable relief assistance funds, at a time when there had been a considerable decline in funds for investment throughout the Central American region.
For its part, the alliance had created the Central American Centre for Natural Disaster Response to help coordinate and promote effective strategies to mitigate the impact of such disasters and emergencies, particularly by establishing early warning mechanisms and risk management programmes. He announced the recent signing in Brussels of a pact between Central America and the European Union, which covered, among other things, economic, immigration and counter-terrorism issues. That instrument represented an important step towards strengthening relations between the two regions.
He went on to highlight regional efforts to protect Central America’s vast and unique biological diversity and natural resources by establishing protected areas, which were home to countless species of flora and fauna. He also expressed hope for the continued support of the international community and the United Nations system as the region worked hard to achieve its development goals. Such support was vital to help the Central American region alleviate extreme poverty and provide the benefits of long-term development for its people.
ARYE MEKEL (Israel) said the item dealing with assistance to the Palestinian people was misrepresented, and insisted that his country supported efforts made by the donor and international communities to alleviate the hardships of the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel was sensitive to the humanitarian and economic needs of the Palestinian population, and viewed the addressing of those needs as a fundamental Israeli interest. The provision of assistance to the Palestinian people was a primary component of Israeli policy, which had arisen from the belief that stimulating the economic growth of the Palestinian economy and enhancing the welfare of the population was integral to the future of the region.
However, he continued, despite Israel’s mounting security concerns, it had endeavoured to the greatest extent possible to permit a steady flow of food, medicine, humanitarian assistance and other essential supplies. Israel had done its utmost to ensure that its legitimate security precautions affected Palestinian life and economic activity as little as possible. He also welcomed the efforts of Member States and organizations such as the UNDP, UNRWA, UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to improve the living conditions of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel was also committed to ensuring that those organizations were empowered to fulfil their humanitarian and development mandates, despite the extremely difficult security situation on the ground.
He said that the Palestinian observer had blamed Israel’s security measures for the increasing hardship of Palestinians. But he argued that that presentation was like “beginning a story from the middle”. The Palestinian plight was due to two factors, namely the “corruption of the Palestinian leadership” and Palestinian terrorism. Israel, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, had taken a broad range of actions since 1994 to promote and improve the free movement of goods and labour from the Palestinian Authority areas into Israel. Also, industrial parks were set up in the Palestinian Authority, involving substantial Israeli investment and economic cooperation. However, it was only after violence had been employed as a political tool that Israel was left with no choice but to implement essential security measures to defend itself from Palestinian terrorism.
He insisted that the security precautions were not so-called “collective punishment” because Israel had no desire to unduly burden the Palestinian population, but rather to ensure the security of Israeli citizens facing daily threats to their lives. At the end of the day, the welfare and safety of both Palestinian and Israeli peoples was inextricably tied to the fulfilment, once and for all, of the Palestinian obligation to fight and dismantle terrorism. That alone would obviate the need for Israeli security measures and pave the way for peaceful negotiations based on mutual recognition and mutual compromise.
TERUNEH ZENNA (Ethiopia) said that his country had been affected by recurrent drought in varying duration and severity over the last 30 years. Humanitarian relief, while noble, would not solve the basic problems which made Ethiopians susceptible to drought. In the long run, the most important step was to strengthen the capacities of countries like his to grow more. It was critical to link relief to development. He agreed with the Secretary-General that a second Green Revolution in Africa was needed. Africa could, thus, effectively mitigate poverty and avert the hunger and malnutrition that haunted the continent today. He commended the assistance of the United Nations, European Union and the international community at large, and hoped United States President George Bush would follow through on his words, when he launched the Millennium Challenge Account initiative and pledged to “increase harvest where hunger was the greatest” on the continent.
To mitigate the effects of recurrent drought and to ensure food security in the short term, his Government was taking measures such as water harvesting, resettlement, conservation-based agriculture, improving live stock production and marketing. Realizing that mere economic growth or increased agricultural productivity alone would not eliminate food deficiency, his Government focused on poverty eradication policies. To that end, the country’s Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Programme (SDPRP) had been built on agriculture-lead industrialization and food security, justice system and civil service reform, governance, decentralization and empowerment, as well as capacity-building. The country’s food security strategy aimed at addressing both the supply and demand side of the food equation -- availability and entitlement.
MAGDI TAHA (Sudan) said his Government continued to work to ensure lasting peace in the country. Achieving such peace was critical so that requisite assistance could be provided to the population and to ensure that development efforts could be pursued throughout the entire region. The Sudan had almost achieved its goals and the current talks under way in Kenya might finally put an end to the long civil war.
Preserving peace required greater resolve than merely ensuring that a
ceasefire held, he said. It was also necessary to maintain security and promote development once peace had been achieved. In addition, mechanisms to consolidate the foundations for a negotiated peace must be created. The Government had created a fund for construction in the south of the country and in other
war-ravaged areas. That fund had moved from the conception stage and had become operational. He hoped for more support from the international community to ensure that the Sudan could achieve its objectives of peace and development.
ELCHIN AMIRBAYOV (
Azerbaijan) said that effective and timely distribution of emergency humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons depended on the availability of international, regional and local resources. It also necessitated coordination among an increased number of humanitarian actors in the field with expertise in various areas, mandates and resources, and their collaboration with local authorities. It had been 10 years since the Security Council and the Assembly had passed resolutions to assist refugees and displaced persons in his nation. He thanked all those who had provided and continued to provide much needed assistance. However, despite the contributions and activities of humanitarian actors, the protracted character of his nation’s armed conflict, and the lack of progress in its settlement process, had negatively impacted the situation in his country. Massive economic transformation and restricted financial resources had curtailed the capacity of his country to provide basic social services for refuges and internally displaced persons. Currently, the volume of assistance did not cover the most pressing needs.
The United Nations and its institutions acting in Azerbaijan, having shifted from emergency humanitarian assistance to development, did not adequately respond to the estimated needs of the country, he stated. A clear-cut balance must be struck in that regard. Establishing correct proportions of assistance, applied in the right places at the right time, required the integration of the Government into planning and coordination phases from the very beginning, so that the Government could effectively integrate its own resources with those provided by the international community. The effective transition from relief to development in situations of protracted conflicts should envisage the continuation of the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance during the initial stages of transition.
ALPHA IBRAHIMA SOW (Guinea) said that, at present, the record for international humanitarian assistance was uneven, due to the complexities of emergencies, on one hand, and a lack of coordination of efforts, on the other. Concerted efforts were needed to find solutions at national, regional and
subregional levels. Along with coordination and close collaboration of the United Nations system with other parties, effective mechanisms required a precise and concise definition of humanitarian assistance.
Guinea believed that while States bore the major responsibility to protect civilians, parties to conflict should also work to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian staff. He supported international efforts to set guidelines for the protection of relief workers, and it was up to the international community to ensure implementation of United Nations and other relevant initiatives. In the case of assistance for refugees and displaced persons, while it was appropriate to take a case-by-case approach, it was also necessary for regional and subregional actors to share experiences. His country also paid particular attention to the situation of women, who often faced sexual exploitation and sexual violence during humanitarian crises. It was also important to strengthen cooperation and collaboration among all humanitarian actors, including civil society groups.
He went on to say that an integrated approach to prevention, preparedness and intervention in natural disasters and other emergencies, including drought and epidemics was necessary. Allocation of resources should be based on needs. Turning to Africa in general, and the West African subregion, in particular, he said natural disasters and conflict had affected development and growth for some years. Guinea had participated in efforts to restore peace and stability to the subregion. He stressed capacity-building to coordinate humanitarian operations and the creation of new mechanisms to ensure economic recovery and revitalization of institutions.
DEJAN SAHOVIC (Serbia and Montenegro) observed that while humanitarian operations were becoming more complex and larger, both in scale and number, the work of humanitarian personnel all over the world was becoming increasingly dangerous and was being carried out under extremely difficult conditions. He called for a strengthened and unified security management system for the United Nations. Humanitarian staff needed to operate in as secure and safe environment as possible to successfully deliver assistance. The ultimate goal of humanitarian assistance in post-conflict situations was to ensure that durable solutions were found, thus setting the stage for sustainable development.
Also vital for a successful transition from relief to development was more support to be given to recovery and long-term development activities, capacity- building at all relevant levels, as well as the enhancement of national ownership. Coordination, in the content of the transition from relief to development, was a demanding and time-critical process, which required the full engagement of governments and donors at the early stages. The process of coordination among providers and between them and the recipients of assistance should be constantly reviewed and adjusted to the real needs in the field, to make it more efficient and avoid competition, overlapping and duplication of activities.
He stressed that humanitarian assistance was still needed to address the widespread poverty and needs of one of the largest displaced populations in Europe -– over 380,000 refugees from the former Yugoslavia and some 260,000 internally displaced persons mostly from Kosovo. Of special importance to his country was the financial and other assistance from Member States, international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in the implementation of its National Strategy for resolving problems of refugees and internally displaced persons. He pointed to the specific nature of the problem of internally displaced persons in his country, and called on the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) to enhance its efforts to fulfil the obligations stemming from Council resolution 1244 and create the necessary conditions for the safe return of internally displaced persons.
MWELWA MUSAMBACHIME (
Zambia) welcomed the proposals in the Secretary-General’s report regarding the need for increased national and regional capacity-building in the early warning and monitoring of natural hazards, natural disaster preparedness and mitigation. He also supported strengthened coordination in the areas of information-sharing, analysis and logistics support. He appreciated visits to his nation by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs for Southern Africa, and commended his team for their commitment and efforts with regard to the plight of Zambians.
During the 2001-2002 agricultural season, his Government put in place measures designed to promote food security, he stated. Some of those measures included the importation of maize, a provision for food relief in needy areas, the introduction of the Food Security Pack programme aimed at empowering farmers with credit, and early distribution of fertilizer by the Food Reserve Agency. As a result, Zambia had produced a higher yield in the last season than it had in the previous five years. Yet, despite major successes in both the agricultural and social sectors, the HIV/AIDS pandemic exacerbated the situation, attacking the most productive members of society, especially the rural poor, who were closest to the agricultural sector. He called on the international community to help ensure access to food, basic health, water, and affordable generic drugs to treat those with HIV/AIDS.
