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Statement by New York, 14 November 2005
The Indonesian delegation would like to thank the Secretary General for his reports on humanitarian assistance which have made clear the urgent need for change in the approach to handling disasters and complex emergencies. We once again express our deep appreciation to Mr. Jan Egeland, Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and his team for the committed role they have been playing in coordinating the UN system, particularly for the contributions made during the emergency relief phase in countries affected by the December 2004 tsunami. In making its contribution to the discussions on the subject, Indonesia aligns itself with the statement made by the distinguished Representative of Jamaica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China as well as by the distinguished Representative of Malaysia on behalf of ASEAN. Mr. President, With on-going conflicts and natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and severe weather patterns, inflicting extensive damage on vulnerable populations in different parts of the world, the demand for humanitarian assistance continues to escalate. This situation is compounded by the increase of worldwide epidemics. Indonesia shares the view that the United Nations must take steps to strengthen its current systems, tools and competencies to effectively address current and future humanitarian needs. There must be increased resources and better coordination of efforts by the United Nations so that the response time to future disasters can be shortened, based on the ready availability of necessary funding and suitably trained personnel. As an essential part of this change, the roles of UN-OCHA, UNDP and other relevant organizations that intervene in the humanitarian emergency phase and engage in follow-up rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts will have to be strengthened to ensure better coordination and avoid redundancy of programmes on the ground. There must also be the constant awareness that humanitarian needs continue well beyond the post-conflict recovery and reconstruction phase which early humanitarian arrangements do not cover. In general, early transition activities tend to focus on stabilizing and re-establishing basic State infrastructure before full needs assessments can be completed. Along with those changes to cover the full range of practical needs in the field, action must be taken to address the persistent financial constraints that affect humanitarian work. My delegation therefore fully supports the recommendation by the Secretary-General to convert the Central Emergency Revolving Fund to an emergency response fund with a grant facility. This will ensure immediate funding to support rapid responses to humanitarian crises. We must give this urgent consideration. Indonesia also welcomes the commitment
of World Leaders, adopted last September, to address the above-mentioned
challenges in humanitarian assistance, particularly to strengthen
the capacities of developing countries to enable them to respond
rapidly to natural disasters and mitigate the impact of these disasters.
It is to their credit as well that the Leaders took the decision
to further develop and improve those mechanisms that equip developing
countries with emergency standby capacity. In the particular case of those developing countries affected by the December 2004 tsunami, Indonesia notes that President William Jefferson Clinton has been appointed to sustain the political will of the international community to support long-tem rehabilitation, reconstruction and risk reduction in countries impacted by the tsunami. Similar initiatives should be adopted for other unprecedented global catastrophes in the future. Being one of the countries that suffered the wrath of the December 2004 tsunami in the worst possible way, Indonesia remains deeply grateful for the generous contributions and affection demonstrated by the international community. For its part, Indonesia has undertaken and will persist in its efforts to ensure that such contributions are managed in a fully transparent and accountable fashion. Towards this end, Indonesia has adopted the Master Plan for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh and Nias Islands. This plan provides a holistic, comprehensive and integrated approach to the five-year restoration and reconstruction programme in the worst-hit regions. The plan provides guidelines for: creating understanding and building commitment among all stakeholders; coordinating, synchronizing and integrating plans of various sectors; disseminating and distributing data as well as information to local, national and international communities; promoting solidarity, participation and involvement of civil society; and designing a system and mechanism for the mobilization of funds. The fruit of the Plan has been the establishment on 29 April 2005 of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency or BRR. Its main mission is to restore livelihoods and strengthen communities in Aceh and Nias by designing and overseeing a coordinated, community-driven reconstruction and development programme implemented according to the highest professional standards. Mr. President, While progress is underway, my delegation has come to appreciate how certain aspects of this process can affect the pace of implementation of the overall programme. Coordination is one such aspect which must be implemented to guarantee that all affected communities are properly assisted, in accordance with their specified needs and priorities, by agencies in the field. For this to be done successfully, community leadership must be consulted and form part of the planning process of recovery efforts. However, because various agencies have widely divergent approaches, standards and speeds of operation, recovery work can be slowed down through serious disorganization. Another important aspect for implementation is community participation. Because of painstaking consultations with community leaders to determine what needs to be done and how to prioritize projects so that efforts can be properly sequenced, the false impression has been created of slow progress. Once consultations are completed, however, it is expected that the actual rehabilitation and reconstruction work will be done with speed and efficiency. The value of this participatory approach also underlines the critical importance of vulnerable countries developing regional and national capacity to be able to anticipate major natural disasters, using early warning systems, and be able to mobilize in-country resources to lessen the humanitarian impact of such disasters. Since national resources are on spot when disasters strike, they represent the first line of defence to prevent a rapid deterioration of the situation in any affected community. In addition, these resources constitute
a vital aspect of a disaster-prone country’s preparedness
and its ability to help itself. Appropriate training must therefore
be provided to potential first responders including civilian, military
and other security forces who can act to prevent an unfortunate
situation from becoming tragic. Relative to the situation in Aceh, the Government of Indonesia has also developed a Recovery Aceh Nias (RAN) database based on the UNDP Development Assistance Database to monitor and evaluate work being done in the province. The RAN database provides official information for project reporting and tracking. It covers every organization involved in the recovery process and how they are responding to identified community needs. As I draw to a close, allow me to touch on the issue of international assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. Indonesia appreciates the Secretary-General’s report on this matter and fully endorses the view that only a peace process and a full and final settlement of the conflict will enable a shift from crisis management and recovery to sustainable development and prosperity. We urge that the Palestinian people be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination, including the establishment of their own State. That apart, Indonesia, as a country affected by the tsunami in December 2004, has a full appreciation of the practical value of the various recommendations put forward by the Secretary-General in his other reports. It is not enough for sound recommendations to be made. They must inspire a rapid response from the international community. Thank you.
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