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Mr
Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
We are here today to focus on people who face grave
threats to their lives: the 33 million vulnerable people in 22
countries and territories who are caught up in humanitarian crises. We
want to see lives being saved, well-being protected and deprivation
reduced. We want to promote human security and the stability of
societies. These concerns are vital to us all, and at the centre of
public attention.
As experiences in the Afghanistan region have
shown, emergencies do not disappear if the world's attention shifts.
There is suffering and death whether emergencies are in the news
headlines or not. They linger on, they fester, and then they erupt
again - and sometimes it is only the UN system that is bringing them
to the attention of the world community. If we act quickly, we can
avert major crises. If we wait until they hit the news, the costs - in
terms of lives, livelihoods and cash - can be much greater.
Our focus, today, is also on cash. Funds are needed
for countries to respond to the effects of emergencies. On their
behalf, we seek $2.5 billion. That is the amount needed to secure a
better future for those who are most affected.
As you know, I am one of several UN agency heads
who are joining the UN Secretary-General in launching today's appeal.
As the head of the World Health Organization, I will pay particular
attention to the health consequences of emergencies.
These are serious, and often, their effects are
felt years after the emergency is over. In wars and natural disasters,
health systems, sanitation and infrastructure get destroyed, personnel
and skills are lost. Disease epidemics take root and spread through
populations previously free of such diseases. Malnutrition and mental
trauma leave permanent scars on those who are already vulnerable and
insecure. Unless primary health care services are made accessible,
pregnancy becomes dangerous; communicable diseases like HIV spread
more widely and chronic illnesses, like diabetes, are untreated.
Early and forceful interventions with humanitarian
assistance in emergencies is essential. It reflects our collective
responsibility as world citizens, and our collective conscience as
members of the world community. It is an essential investment in our
common future.
Colleagues,
Last week, I visited the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea. This is a country that for several years has
suffered a crippling shortage of food. An unknown number of people
have died of hunger and diseases related to malnutrition. But the
world community stepped in and provided large amounts of food and
other assistance. In doing so, we have helped save thousands of lives.
We have also prevented a humanitarian catastrophe of enormous
proportion, and promoted the stability of an entire region.
But the emergency is having familiar long-term
consequences. The health system is hampered by a failing
infrastructure and lack of basic medicines and equipment. People
weakened by years of malnutrition are vulnerable to diseases. Malaria
has taken hold and is spreading rapidly. Tuberculosis is widespread.
Overall mortality rate has increased by nearly 40%. It is clear that
DPR Korea needs substantial assistance for its health sector or we
will be struggling with serious health problems for decades.
Yet, when I met the press conference after leaving
Korea, I was asked the justification for continuing to help in
emergencies. Journalists questioned the wisdom of maintaining
assistance when there is no promise of a quick solution. It is a
legitimate question, but it reflects the importance of understanding
what emergency assistance can and cannot do.
Emergency assistance - on its own - cannot
"solve" emergencies. It is not a substitute for concerted
international action to mitigate conflicts. The assistance does save
lives - thousands of lives. And that is the justification for
providing it. It can do more, too. It can prevent an emergency from
turning into a major catastrophe. It can prepare the ground for a
sustained solution. It is a bridge to peace: a vital foundation for a
safer, more secure and more peaceful world.
We must be realistic. We will not be able to assist
all in need. Indeed, the responses to consolidated appeals have been
declining in recent years. Just 50% of the requirements were met for
the 2001 appeal. This compares to 55 % in 2000 and 67% in 1999.
We will be remembered for our response to those who
are vulnerable and affected by crises outside their control. We must
reverse the trend. I expect, next year, to see a far better response.
The theme of the Consolidated Appeals for 2002 is
"Reaching the Vulnerable", highlighting the need for access
to civilians trapped by armed conflict, and for improved security for
relief personnel.
Among those particularly vulnerable are women,
particularly the poor and those in situations where social norms have
discriminated against them. Children and elderly, especially when they
are separated from their families, may also be at increased risk. But
we know that in situations of distress, especially vulnerable are all
those who do not have the means to cope with fast changes, such as
marginal communities and uprooted populations.
The Consolidated Appeals Process is a response to
calls from the donor community for an effective, coordinated
multilateral humanitarian action. But we need to see a
well-coordinated and comprehensive response effort also from donors.
Funding shortfalls and selective support - along with a growing trend
toward bilateral approaches - can defeat the synergies created by
joint planning. For example, WFP, WHO and other partner agencies have
made clear on various occasions that food aid alone loses much of its
impact for its beneficiaries if other activities, such as those geared
towards improving availability and access to water and health
services, remain under-funded.
Reaching the vulnerable in humanitarian crises
also means that we need to deploy our staff to dangerous and
isolated trouble spots around the world. Humanitarian workers risk
disease or injuries too. And, increasingly, they are targeted by
violence because they are humanitarian workers. Between 1998
and 2000, 198 United Nations staff members lost their lives and 240
were taken hostage or kidnapped - more than in the preceding ten years
combined.
A week ago we heard the tragic news that our WHO
representative in Burundi had been brutally killed. Within the last
year we lost staff in several nations. Many other UN system and
international agencies have faced the same tragedies. As a result,
international relief operations either become more costly, or have to
be scaled back, or be suspended.
We need to put an end to the culture of impunity.
And we need to see donors support security-related expenditures under
the CAP as well as the work set in place by UNSECOORD to provide
appropriate security training to our staff.
Stronger efforts are needed to encourage leaders to
facilitate access to the vulnerable in humanitarian crises like for
instance the "Days of Tranquillity", whereby all sides in a
conflict agree to allow safe passage for humanitarian workers and
beneficiaries during a specific period of time.
Days of Tranquillity have demonstrated their value
with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership of WHO,
UNICEF, Rotary International and CDC. These partnerships are
extremely important. This past July, the UN Secretary-General
called for Days of Tranquillity to provide safe passage for polio
vaccinators in the DR Congo and Angola during synchronized National
Immunization Days.
It is my belief that, all together, we have the
know-how, the capacity and the commitment to respond effectively to
these formidable challenges to our work in humanitarian crises. But we
need to continue to work together, and event intensify our alliances,
among ourselves as UN agencies, and with governments, NGOs,
collaborating centres, the media, communities, families, committed
private partners.
Most of all, we must keep in mind that in
emergencies, lives are lost whether the TV cameras are there to remind
us about it or not. We must never forget those who suffer because they
are caught up in conflicts and natural disasters. Their lives are
frequently encased in misery: the battle to survive is never ending.
We must do all we can to sustain life and empower those who are
threatened - with respect for their dignity and human rights. This is
our duty - to ourselves as a world community.
Thank you.
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