More UN, international disaster recovery aid for Myanmar
Surya B. Prasai
May 28, 2008
The recent visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Myanmar to convince Gen Than Shwe and the military junta to open up their doors to relief efforts after the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, can be considered a positive UN success, since the government has now agreed top let international aid workers and rescue teams to operated in full. Earlier US and G-8 governments had appealed for the same but there was perceived reluctance since Myanmar shies away from Western contact and democratic influence. Cyclone Nargis is known to have killed as many as 130,000 people, either dead or missing, and affected the lives of 2.5 million more of Myanmar´s 50 million population. After Ban´s meeting with Gen. Than Shwe, the Myanmar leader agreed to open all doors to international aid relief workers, which some in the Western press, are also referring as Myanmar´s new awakening. However, these relief efforts could take up to six months.
According to Ban speaking from Myanmar recently, " I believe there is a good reason to hope that aid to the worst affected areas of Myanmar will increase significantly in the coming days. These needs must be funded immediately." Ban also attended a donors meeting where nearly 50 nations pledged up to a 130 million dollars in immediate humanitarian and recovery assistance aid. The donors pledge was initiated by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose leadership role was significant in bringing the moral awakening to the Myanmar Government that something urgent needed to be done for those suffering.
The UN Secretary General, who earlier walked barefoot in Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Myanmar´s most famous Buddhist temple, offering incense sticks and a prayer for those departed and the families of all affected, appealed for generous funding by the donor countries to help Myanmar at this time of emergency need. He mentioned that rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction efforts must occur parallel with relief efforts. The Secretary-General was earlier given a helicopter tour of the Irrawaddy delta last week, which appeared littered with swollen corpses and post-cyclone litter. The international pledging conference, probably the largest get together ever held in Myanmar so far, is expected to secure at least one third of the expected US$ 11 billon that the government is asking for international assistance to rebuild the completely devastated delta A joint ASEAN-UN summary issued by the conference's chair, UN-SG Ban and ASEAN-SG Surin Pitsuwan, noted that the donors agreed unanimously on the "need to scale up urgently and very significantly the current relief efforts, to ensure that all those in desperate need are reached quickly and with adequate life-saving relief supplies, and that an effective flow of these supplies is maintained for as long as is necessary, through the establishment of the necessary logistical arrangements and an acceleration of the arrival and distribution of vital relief goods."
Ban also briefed the international press that he was deeply encouraged by his discussions with Myanmar's leadership and that they had promised to act urgently. He stated that the international humanitarian groups were now in a position to operate freely and provide the required assistance that was so far lying in ships off the coast. He stated, "The good news is that the Myanmar government seems to be moving fast on both the letter and spirit of our agreement." Despite the generous contributions, Ban has asked for more support to the $201 million UN Flash Appeal which aims to assist the 1.5 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis for the next three months in the immediate future, but also has longer term measures . Until now, only 20 per cent of the needed funds have been contributed, while another 20 per cent has been pledged. The Secretary General stated, "Indeed, few nations do have resources to face a catastrophe of this magnitude. That is why we are here in Yangon today…Farmers and fisherman must be helped to resume their livelihoods, they need nets and boats, fertilizers, seeds and water pumps."
According to UN sources engaged in the humanitarian relief work in Myanmar, there is an acute need of clean water, proper sanitation and shelter. Medical, food and mobile first aid are major priorities. The UN´s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), states that less than one quarter of the estimated 2 million people in the 15 worst-affected townships in Myanmar have been reached so far. OCHA last reported a boat from World Food Programme (WFP) filled with rice and high energy biscuits that had departed for Myanmar, while 26 UN relief aircrafts - from WFP, OCHA, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) - have been organized for air drops. More helicopters are expected to be chartered by the UN this week to ferry in additional supplies off the coast. Earlier, the Myanmar Government which has always been suspicious of foreigners and foreign aid, had rejected French, British and US navy ships laden with grain and other humanitarian supplies, although it allowed civilian ships to operate in its ports. Yet, there are unreached pockets where aid might have not reached those needing assistance; it is known that there are some remote areas where people are still struggling to survive on their own where international rescue workers are still blocked from providing assistance. According to some ASEAN media, Myanmar has displayed a history of making concessions when the regime is under international pressure, but only to backslide once the spotlight shifts away. Hopefully with the after effect of Cyclone Nargis, the openness will stay in the Myanmar government. The UN and other international humanitarian agencies, at least expect the full cooperation of the military in dispensing aid supplies.
Cyclone Nargis has also closed down 70% of the schools and most of the population still does not have drinking water to survive on. As a result, nearly 30,000 children under the age of five are facing acute malnourishment. Recently, USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore and Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, had jointly delivered the first U.S. Government relief commodities to Myanmar onboard a U.S. C-130. The United States still has sanctions in place against Myanmar, whose government is holding Nobel Peace Prize-winning democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Suu Kyi, on whom Bono from U2 has composed a moving song, is confined under house arrest by the Myanmar Government, although there have been appeals in the past five years for her release, including from President George W.Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Nonetheless, the UN is expected to help Myanmar in the long term from its own $30 million central emergency fund for assisting counties in disaster. Recently China has also received $ 7 million in emergency assistance from the same fund.
According to Ban speaking from Myanmar recently, " I believe there is a good reason to hope that aid to the worst affected areas of Myanmar will increase significantly in the coming days. These needs must be funded immediately." Ban also attended a donors meeting where nearly 50 nations pledged up to a 130 million dollars in immediate humanitarian and recovery assistance aid. The donors pledge was initiated by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose leadership role was significant in bringing the moral awakening to the Myanmar Government that something urgent needed to be done for those suffering.
The UN Secretary General, who earlier walked barefoot in Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Myanmar´s most famous Buddhist temple, offering incense sticks and a prayer for those departed and the families of all affected, appealed for generous funding by the donor countries to help Myanmar at this time of emergency need. He mentioned that rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction efforts must occur parallel with relief efforts. The Secretary-General was earlier given a helicopter tour of the Irrawaddy delta last week, which appeared littered with swollen corpses and post-cyclone litter. The international pledging conference, probably the largest get together ever held in Myanmar so far, is expected to secure at least one third of the expected US$ 11 billon that the government is asking for international assistance to rebuild the completely devastated delta A joint ASEAN-UN summary issued by the conference's chair, UN-SG Ban and ASEAN-SG Surin Pitsuwan, noted that the donors agreed unanimously on the "need to scale up urgently and very significantly the current relief efforts, to ensure that all those in desperate need are reached quickly and with adequate life-saving relief supplies, and that an effective flow of these supplies is maintained for as long as is necessary, through the establishment of the necessary logistical arrangements and an acceleration of the arrival and distribution of vital relief goods."
Ban also briefed the international press that he was deeply encouraged by his discussions with Myanmar's leadership and that they had promised to act urgently. He stated that the international humanitarian groups were now in a position to operate freely and provide the required assistance that was so far lying in ships off the coast. He stated, "The good news is that the Myanmar government seems to be moving fast on both the letter and spirit of our agreement." Despite the generous contributions, Ban has asked for more support to the $201 million UN Flash Appeal which aims to assist the 1.5 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis for the next three months in the immediate future, but also has longer term measures . Until now, only 20 per cent of the needed funds have been contributed, while another 20 per cent has been pledged. The Secretary General stated, "Indeed, few nations do have resources to face a catastrophe of this magnitude. That is why we are here in Yangon today…Farmers and fisherman must be helped to resume their livelihoods, they need nets and boats, fertilizers, seeds and water pumps."
According to UN sources engaged in the humanitarian relief work in Myanmar, there is an acute need of clean water, proper sanitation and shelter. Medical, food and mobile first aid are major priorities. The UN´s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), states that less than one quarter of the estimated 2 million people in the 15 worst-affected townships in Myanmar have been reached so far. OCHA last reported a boat from World Food Programme (WFP) filled with rice and high energy biscuits that had departed for Myanmar, while 26 UN relief aircrafts - from WFP, OCHA, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) - have been organized for air drops. More helicopters are expected to be chartered by the UN this week to ferry in additional supplies off the coast. Earlier, the Myanmar Government which has always been suspicious of foreigners and foreign aid, had rejected French, British and US navy ships laden with grain and other humanitarian supplies, although it allowed civilian ships to operate in its ports. Yet, there are unreached pockets where aid might have not reached those needing assistance; it is known that there are some remote areas where people are still struggling to survive on their own where international rescue workers are still blocked from providing assistance. According to some ASEAN media, Myanmar has displayed a history of making concessions when the regime is under international pressure, but only to backslide once the spotlight shifts away. Hopefully with the after effect of Cyclone Nargis, the openness will stay in the Myanmar government. The UN and other international humanitarian agencies, at least expect the full cooperation of the military in dispensing aid supplies.
Cyclone Nargis has also closed down 70% of the schools and most of the population still does not have drinking water to survive on. As a result, nearly 30,000 children under the age of five are facing acute malnourishment. Recently, USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore and Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, had jointly delivered the first U.S. Government relief commodities to Myanmar onboard a U.S. C-130. The United States still has sanctions in place against Myanmar, whose government is holding Nobel Peace Prize-winning democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Suu Kyi, on whom Bono from U2 has composed a moving song, is confined under house arrest by the Myanmar Government, although there have been appeals in the past five years for her release, including from President George W.Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Nonetheless, the UN is expected to help Myanmar in the long term from its own $30 million central emergency fund for assisting counties in disaster. Recently China has also received $ 7 million in emergency assistance from the same fund.
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