New Delhi – The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said disaster risk reduction and disaster management should be a key component in the process of recovery for victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma.
Under-Secretary-General for ESCAP Ms. Noeleen Heyzer, in a press statement released on Tuesday following a two-day meeting of expert groups in Bangkok on the ongoing recovery from Cyclone Nargis, said effective early warning mechanisms are a part of any sound disaster management approach.
But she emphasized that early action is required to turn early warning into real disaster preparedness.
The meeting, attended by the UN, ASEAN, Burmese government and topical experts, agreed on prioritizing a move from relief efforts to recovery and long-term economic and social development, including the mobilization of greater technical and financial support.
The meeting is the first high-level gathering on the process of recovery from Cyclone Nargis and drew together representatives from Aceh, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other countries which have dealt with the effects of recent natural disasters.
Participants agreed that the information shared during the meeting would feed into the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP), the ongoing Tripartite Core Group (TCG) Periodic Review and the ASEAN-UN Summit to be held in Thailand in mid-December.
However, a consortium of nineteen Burmese civilian organizations, which launched a report on October 16, said the Post Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) by the TCG, a group formed by the UN, ASEAN and Burmese government, has largely neglected the human rights violations committed by the Burmese military junta in the process of helping cyclone victims.
The report, entitled 'Post-Nargis Analysis: The Other Side of the Story,' highlights that PONJA had failed to include severe rights abuses endured by victims in the aftermath of the cyclone, especially in terms of inadequate and unequal aid distribution by authorities.
Ko Shwe, a Karen environmentalist who visited the Irrawaddy delta after the cyclone struck, said the Burmese Army had been obstructing the flow of aid and deprived the victims of their right to an equal distribution of aid and humanitarian assistance.
Following the deadly landfall of Cyclone Nargis on Burma's Irrawaddy and Rangoon Divisions in early May, the military government initially blocked the flow of aid and aid workers to regions struck by the storm.
But following a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Burma in mid-May, Burma agreed to be part of a Tripartite Core Group that would coordinate the process of recovery and the flow of aid. TCG then conducted a field assessment and came out with its Post Nargis Joint Assessment.
But the Burmese civilian organizations said PONJA largely fails to include all aspects of the situation in the cyclone affected regions and totally eliminates the severe human rights violations committed by the Burmese junta.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian coordinator said victims in the delta continue to lack clean and safe drinking water and are short of funding for agricultural and livestock projects.
Dan Baker, in an email message to Mizzima earlier this month, said, "Needs are still great and increased and committed financial support is necessary in order to continue to address the humanitarian needs."
Baker related, "Tens of thousands of families are living in basic shelter conditions," adding that the agriculture sector also requires a lot of funding.
On the ground, villagers in Thingangyi of Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy delta said food aid to them was cut-off about two months ago, leaving them to struggle for their daily food and causing them to be unable to rebuild their lives.
"We have seen some food in the storerooms, I don't understand why they are not distributing it to us," said a villager, who saw food being stored at warehouses manned by international aid agencies.
