The Economic and Social Council this afternoon concluded its general discussion on special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance, in the context of its Humanitarian Affairs Segment.

Among issues raised by speakers were the current economic crisis, which had the potential to increase the need for humanitarian assistance in developing countries. Further, since this need had increased due to the greater impact and severity of natural disasters caused by climate change and other factors, as well as because of prolonged complex emergencies, there was concern about the impact of the current financial and economic crises on humanitarian assistance. The financial and economic crises and climate change had given rise to various situations with threatened vulnerable populations. Although the crisis had put additional strains on all economies, it remained important for the international community to carry on the adequate, predictable, and timely funding for humanitarian operations.

All parties should respect the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence to ensure aid workers had humanitarian access to vulnerable civilians, and speakers deplored and condemned the recent increase in attacks on humanitarian workers. Humanitarian assistance was a reflection of the conscience of the international community, and the strategic importance that the latter gave to reinforcing the independence of the humanitarian dimension. These principles laid the foundation that allowed humanitarian agencies to effectively carry out their work to bring assistance to needy populations in increasingly complex and hostile environments. The same flag that used to offer protection to humanitarian workers was now often seen as a target by some who sought to disrupt the flow of humanitarian assistance to populations in need in order to further political or military agendas.

Speakers also said that efforts should continue to solve these problems through a balanced approach providing humanitarian assistance that took into account local stakeholders and their circumstances, while at the same time ensuring the provision of principled humanitarian assistance. Delivering emergency assistance should not be perceived as a short-term response; it should aim towards long-term development as well. The preparation for disasters was crucial in cooperation efforts, as well as the strengthening of national capacities in this regard. There were not enough resources to solve all issues such as access rights and safety concerns - therefore, humanitarian aid modalities should be developed that were context-appropriate and more effective. The humanitarian community should pay more attention to a smooth transition from emergency to early recovery and transition - too often it still worked in a reactive mode, instead of being proactive.

Speaking this afternoon were Japan, Algeria, Morocco, United States, Thailand, Saint Lucia, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Finland, Venezuela, Philippines, Israel, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Ecuador, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Health Organization, UN-HABITAT, United Nations Children’s Fund and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.


The next meeting of the Council will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday 22 July, when it is scheduled, in the context of its Operational Activities Segment and its Humanitarian Affairs Segment, to adopt draft proposals and conclude both segments.


General Discussion under the Humanitarian Affairs Segment

SHINICHI KITAJIMA (Japan) said Japan had been calling for efficient and effective humanitarian assistance, and therefore welcomed the progress of humanitarian reforms such as the improvement of the Central Emergency Revolving Fund, the strengthening of the humanitarian coordinator system, and the implementation of the cluster approach. The current economic crisis had the potential to increase the need for humanitarian assistance in developing countries. Since this need had increased due to the greater impact and severity of natural disasters caused by climate change and other factors, as well as because of prolonged complex emergencies, there was concern about the impact of the current financial and economic crises on humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian organizations, for their part, should make every effort to update their organizational structures to increase efficiency and effectiveness to meet growing needs. States had the primary responsibility to enhance compliance with international laws and to protect civilians, and the international community had to address the serious impact that non-State groups were having. Japan deplored and condemned in the strongest terms the recent increase in attacks on humanitarian workers: all parties should respect the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence to ensure aid workers had humanitarian access to vulnerable civilians. While capacity-building at the national level was a key to success, the empowerment of individuals and local communities was vital for nation-building; human security was also vital in order to achieve a smooth and seamless transition from the humanitarian phase to early recovery and reconstruction.

ATHMANE MEHADJI (Algeria) said Algeria hoped that the debate would lead to concrete conclusions to help the United Nations system coordinate humanitarian assistance better and minimize the impact of disasters. The theme for this year was of particular importance in view of the increasing number and scope of emergencies affecting every region of the world, particularly developing countries. Algeria agreed with the Secretary-General’s report on strengthening humanitarian assistance, which noted that strengthening capacity in humanitarian affairs, both at the regional, national, as well as the international level was needed. Algeria stressed the need to apply the guiding principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence in this context. Delivering emergency assistance should not be perceived as a short-term response; it should aim towards long-term development as well. The preparation for disasters was crucial in cooperation efforts, as well as the strengthening of national capacities in this regard. Algeria supported the Secretary-General’s call to support the developing countries in humanitarian affairs, and in particular in the transfer of technologies. Algeria welcomed the series of United Nations initiatives since 2006 aimed at improving the forseability, transparency of aid and to promote equity in the area of humanitarian assistance. It was their view that greater attention should be given to strengthen financial mechanisms for humanitarian assistance. The delegation of Algeria also welcomed the Secretary-General’s call for early and multi-annual commitments, and for the pooling of reserves.

OMAR HILALE (Morocco) said the report of the Secretary-General was informative. Humanitarian assistance was a reflection of the conscience of the international community, and the strategic importance that the latter gave to reinforcing the independence of the humanitarian dimension. This was an act of great solidarity with the affected populations and countries, particularly at a time of urgent humanitarian situations. The international community had been influenced by its great technological, economic, and democratic advances, as well as by the emergence of major challenges of different natures, which had caused an increase in demand for international humanitarian assistance. The report of the Secretary-General synthesised and provided alarming figures with regards to these challenges, both of human and natural origin. Morocco considered that conflicts in Africa were the results of various policies, and these disputes should be settled peacefully, in the context of territorial integrity and the support of the international community. United Nations mediation and that of third countries had facilitated many peace processes and the return of many refugees, facilitating humanitarian assistance and access to the various populations, allowing a beginning of post-conflict resolution and reconstruction. The financial and economic crises and climate change had given rise to various situations with threatened vulnerable populations. Renewed discussion and coordinated action were required in order to optimise, coordinate and better harmonise the provision of assistance. There was concern for the attacks against humanitarian and United Nations personnel - there should be the necessary conditions to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in need.

DOUG MERCADO (United States) said the United States maintained a firm belief in the importance of the international system that had developed over decades to bring rapid and effective relief to individuals and communities around the world impacted by natural and man-made humanitarian crises. The United States re-asserted its strong commitment to upholding and promoting the basic humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. These principles laid the foundation that allowed humanitarian agencies to effectively carry out their work to bring assistance to needy populations in increasingly complex and hostile environments. Another key to effective humanitarian action was the ability to provide timely assistance to populations in need. Restricted access or the complete blockage of humanitarian assistance led to unnecessary deaths and increased suffering. The United States remained gravely concerned at the increasing threats to the safety and security of humanitarian workers and the consequences that this carried for the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance. The same flag that used to offer protection to humanitarian workers was now often seen as a target by some who sought to disrupt the flow of humanitarian assistance to populations in need in order to further political or military agendas. Furthermore, the international community had to pay greater attention to the preparedness measures.

NETITHORN PRADISTSARN (Thailand) said humanitarian assistance should be guided by the principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality. The interlinkage of global challenges on humanitarian emergencies, ranging from armed conflicts to natural disasters to economic crises demanded more coordination and cooperation than ever. Increasing United Nations system-wide coherence was a way to enhance the effectiveness of the United Nations agencies in responding to the needs on the ground. Coordination among United Nations agencies as well as those outside the United Nations system was also essential. The increasing number of disasters called for the attention of the international community on strengthening the disaster prevention system. In addition, the availability of assistance immediately after the disaster was as important as post-disaster reconstruction itself in order to minimise the damages and casualties, therefore it was important that an efficient system of delivering emergency services be maintained and constantly updated. It was empirically evident that the need for humanitarian assistance was unevenly distributed across regions. Maintaining resources available to humanitarian operations was essential to ensure the continuity of assistance programmes. Although the current economic crisis had put additional strains on all economies, it remained important for the international community to carry on the adequate, predictable, and timely funding for these operations.

DONATUS ST. AIMEE (Saint Lucia) said in the quest to assist they must not allow the media to dictate who was most deserving and neither should they ignore small cases that did not make it on CNN or BBC. Category 1 hurricanes would almost destroy all of the banana crops of the island country. This affected food security and the livelihoods of the poor in the country, but unfortunately did not make it on CNN’s news coverage; however this was a big deal for them. Saint Lucia was within the hurricane and earthquake belt – a double whammy. It was terribly important for them that those who could help to address these challenges did, as they could not do as much, but were doing all they could. They needed to work within a regional framework, which also provided additional costs and strains for them. Communications, management and coordination were all challenges for them. Saint Lucia urged the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and donor countries to look at the small island countries and seek solutions to their problems and what they could do to assist them in this venture. Saint Lucia called on everyone to consider their situation, and in this context welcomed the commitment noted by the United States to contribute efforts and resources in this vein.

SONG HYE-RYOUNG (Republic of Korea) said there were growing concerns that the driving force for humanitarian assistance could decline due to the global financial crisis and economic downturn, at a time when humanitarian assistance was most needed considering the numerous global challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanisation, food insecurity, and resource scarcity. Furthermore, the restrictions imposed on humanitarian access and the threats to the safety and security of humanitarian personnel could worsen the already dire humanitarian crises. Efforts should continue to solve these problems through a balanced approach providing humanitarian assistance that took into account local stakeholders and their circumstances, while at the same time ensured the provision of principled humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian principles were fundamentally important and necessary to promote the understanding of humanitarian work at the field level in order to ensure a favourable working environment. Unfortunately, there were not enough resources to solve all issues such as access rights and safety concerns - therefore, humanitarian aid modalities should be developed that were context-appropriate and more effective. Adding to these operational and traditional challenges were new challenges: this era of multiple and interconnected issues presented a test to the capability of humanitarian actors to meet surging humanitarian needs. In this context, reinforcing partnership among humanitarian actors had become more crucial than ever.

SUMEDHA EKANAVAKE (Sri Lanka) said in Sri Lanka, approximately 285,000 internally displaced persons were being provided with humanitarian assistance in cooperation with the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and more than 50 local and international non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recently reported that there were significant improvements in internally displaced persons camps. The World Health Organization Representative in Sri Lanka last week stated that he had visited the internally displaced persons camps over five times during the past three months and that during each visit he had found the situation to be “rapidly improving”. The resettlement of the displaced was now one of the main objectives of the Government of Sri Lanka. In this regard, the issue of protection was of utmost importance. To facilitate this effort, last June the Government of Sri Lanka announced the creation of two forums in Colombo and Vavunia to discuss protection related issues and to take consensual decisions by all stakeholders as to how such protection issues could be better addressed. Furthermore, as a part of the Comprehensive Northern Development Plan, the Presidential Task Force for Re-settlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province had launched three integrated plans aimed at, among other things, enhanced security, de-mining, restoration of civil administration, and re-settlement of internally displaced persons.

ULLA-MAIJA FINSKAS (Finland) said the focus on humanitarian principles in the report of the Secretary-General was what the members of the humanitarian community constantly kept at the forefront in their work. Unfortunately, these principles were increasingly sidelined or completely neglected. This was a serious problem. Could more be done about promoting universal understanding of international humanitarian law and principles in partnerships, Finland asked, noting that there could also be wrong perceptions of each other's motives, while the driving force should be to meet the needs of the affected human beings. There were situations where support by the military was necessary in delivering the much-needed aid, but military involvement could, in such situations, not always be perceived correctly, as supporting humanitarian action under civilian lead. There was a need to keep the concept of humanitarian assistance free from political connotations; humanitarian assistance was not a political tool. Technology would certainly improve early-warning instruments, especially in sudden onset emergencies. Disaster risk reduction and preparedness was another issue that would only grow in importance the closer they came to the Copenhagen Conference. Humanitarian assistance was today response-driven, and not preparedness-driven. Both donor and recipient countries should do more in Disaster Risk Reduction. Joint Needs Assessments would lead to a more efficient response, and also take away unnecessary burdens from the beneficiary countries' administrations in dealing with many different actors. The humanitarian community should pay more attention to a smooth transition from emergency to early recovery and transition; too often it still worked in a reactive mode, instead of being proactive.

JUAN ARIAS (Venezuela) expressed deepest concern at the violence and attacks in the last two years targeting humanitarian workers and teams. Venezuela welcomed that John Holmes had referred to this fact, calling these attacks “horrendous crimes”. The Government of Venezuela had been able to provide humanitarian assistance to Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Zimbabwe, as well as in the Gaza Strip, among others. They used the risk management approach in all these projects. Venezuela provided food, and technical and financial assistance. The food crisis as well as climate change would have serious effects on humanitarian assistance. Venezuela was of the view that there should be an increase in regional, global and international capacities to address these challenges.

EDUARDO MARTIN R. MENEZ (Philippines) said the panels that had taken place over the past two days had highlighted the challenges faced by the global humanitarian community in the midst of multiple crises. All indicators pointed to an increasingly dangerous and difficult environment, affecting ever-growing numbers of people, and with which humanitarian workers had to contend. It was hoped that the Economic and Social Council would further disseminate the insights gained in the discussions and amplify the calls of support for impartial, needs-based, and independent humanitarian assistance. The nexus between Disaster Risk Reduction and climate change was clear and unmistakable, and this should be an important feature of the agreements to be reached at the United Nations Climate Conference to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009. The United Nations system, regional organizations and national Governments needed to invest in Disaster Risk Reduction, and there should be clear and meaningful budgetary earmarking, as well as focus on concrete action at all levels, particularly for building more disaster-resilient communities for schools, hospitals, homes, and the basic infrastructure.

ZHARKIN KAKIMZHANOVA (Kazakhstan) said strengthening cooperation in confronting the present challenges within the United Nations remained one the priorities of the system. There was a need for stricter compliance by all interested parties with the fundamental principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, which would improve the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. It was important that every participating party should work in a clearly defined sphere of activities taking into account political, military and humanitarian activities. It was also important to consistently replenish humanitarian assistance funds within the United Nations and to effectively distribute those funds. Kazakhstan’s voluntary contributions had increased from $ 25,000 to
$ 50,000. The Central Asia region had been subject to floods, earthquakes and droughts, and in order to strengthen cooperation and to reduce the effects of disasters, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan had established a service centre to address the needs as a result of these natural disasters, in the form of technical and financial resources. There were humanitarian, social and economic consequences as a result of the many man-made disasters experienced in the region.

VICTOR MORARU (Republic of Moldova) said the overall level and scale of humanitarian crises in the form of complex emergencies and natural disasters experienced the past year confirmed that conflicts and disasters had tested humanitarian response capacity and the ability of the humanitarian system to guarantee an effectively coordinated response. Since the humanitarian crises were global and inter-connected, they required a common approach and a joint resolve. Strengthening the coordination of humanitarian response in the context of disasters and complex emergencies should be viewed as an effort to collectively enhance the ability of the United Nations to effectively respond to humanitarian crises around the world. Humanitarian coordination required further improvement, especially when it came to the transition phase between emergency relief and sustainable recovery. More should be done to find effective ways to close the gap between emergency relief and longer-term development. There was a need to ensure that new dynamism and commitment was brought to the process. The increasing complexity of humanitarian action was of concern, given the added pressure of the combined impacts of current global challenges. It was of great importance to sustain the reform efforts launched in 2006 by the United Nations. The rise in weather-related disasters was increasingly associated with climate change. Consequently, the humanitarian consequences of climate change were already a major source of concern, calling for collective and more coordinated efforts to strengthen capacities for emergency response.

CARLOS SANTOS (Ecuador), said the report of the Secretary-General explained coordination measures taken with regard to the humanitarian assistance activities of the United Nations. Thousands of refugees came to Ecuador to be protected internationally. This was the gravest humanitarian situation in the Western Hemisphere. Ecuador had assumed its commitment under the Geneva Convention, the Cartagena Declaration, and the Mexico Plan of Action. Its Constitution gave those people Constitutional guarantees, special protection, and full exercise of their rights. Ecuador ensured that the legitimate interests of security and sovereignty complied with the international instruments on refugees. Ecuador was the first country in Latin America to have a policy for refugees, and had implemented a unique process, recognising Colombian citizens on its territory. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had recognised this as a model on the global level. Despite the economic crisis, Ecuador carried out every effort to ensure the sustainable increase of humanitarian assistance funds, both for refugees and its citizens, and to mitigate risks in the case of disasters.

YSEMIN AYSAN, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ICRC), said the first challenge to be addressed was the impact that the global economic and financial crises would have on vulnerability and poverty at both a macro and a household level. They expected poverty and vulnerability to increase and saw these both as a development and a humanitarian challenge that underscored the complex relationship between humanitarian and development actors, both conceptually and in practical support for the most vulnerable. The second challenge was climate change. Their national societies were indicating that over the last four years they responded to significantly more weather related disasters. Many of these were of a relatively small scale but they did appear to be part of a changing climate which was also contributing to an increase in extreme weather events. These were frequently poorly predicted, and underlined the imperative of early warning and early action. These two challenges would have a significant humanitarian impact; a higher number of deaths and injuries; damage to shelter; loss of property and possessions; increased food insecurity; loss of coping mechanisms and livelihoods; exposure to disease; and separation of families due to potential migration. This meant operational challenges and increased demand on their disaster response capacity at all levels.

ERIC LAROCHE, of the World Health Organization (WHO), said WHO alone could not protect health and reduce the impact of humanitarian emergencies. Collectively, the international community could do more to save the lives and cure the ills of the world's poorest, with trained and experimented professionals, good strategies based on solid data, and proper funding. WHO had, in recent years, greatly improved its capacity to respond in humanitarian emergences on the basis of experience and proper training, but was still struggling to enhance the quality of health and nutrition data in emergencies, and was not getting the appropriate level of resources to fund health activities. All should do more to coordinate better as humanitarian partners in responding to human suffering. Given the budgetary constraints, the challenge today was not to find answers to pressing health problems, but to act on what could save many lives. The good work should continue of coordinating in the health community, to enhance joint assessment and strategic planning tools to advocate and to deliver services professionally. More could be done to be prepared before emergency struck. Evidence showed that strong coordination and preparation would save more lives in emergencies than any international humanitarian response could.

GEORGE DEIKUN, of United Nations HABITAT, said with more than one half of the world’s population now living in urban areas and half of these in precarious slum situations, residents of towns, cities and surrounding peri-urban areas had become increasingly vulnerable to disasters associated with natural hazards and complex emergencies. United Nations HABITAT was playing an important role in humanitarian reform as a United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee member applying its human settlements expertise to the housing, land and infrastructure elements of humanitarian response, adding value to international and local efforts to recover from emergencies and crises and with a perspective of promoting long term stability and sustainability. While some disasters were not receiving adequate responses in terms of relief and recovery funding, others were facing shortcomings in certain sectors of the international response. Shelter, land and property were some of the sectors that required increased attention in responses – both in technical and financial terms. Ensuring people’s right to housing, land and property was critical for sustainable solutions to disasters for forging peace.

LOUIS-GEORGES ARSENAULT, of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said the world was collectively facing increasingly complex challenges, both in terms of the nature of emerging threats, and the consequences brought about by these. Consequences were particularly harsh on women and children. A risk reduction approach was central to preventing, mitigating and preparing for disasters and conflicts. In the context of disasters, for example, disaster risk could be reduced not only through humanitarian action but also by ensuring that disaster risk reduction was fully integrated into development work. By ensuring communities, in particular children, fully participated in risk reduction, their needs were met and their vulnerability to conflict and disasters was reduced. In times of armed conflict, the principle of humanity implied that assistance was provided to children in need, irrespective of the dynamics and scope of the conflict. Effective humanitarian access was based on respect for international humanitarian law and the recognition of humanitarian principles by parties to conflict, often requiring sustained advocacy with parties to conflict. The challenges the world was collectively facing were daunting, and could only be mitigated by a collective effort. National partnerships were key. National capacity development was a central strategy for UNICEF's humanitarian action. UNICEF recognised that the cluster system could provide an opportunity to further strengthen the existing national structures in place.


ARNAULD AKODJENOU, of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said UNHCR urged States to take an active role in ensuring the security of humanitarian workers and in facilitating access to displaced populations and others in need of assistance and protection. The impunity of those who threatened or attacked humanitarian workers should also be addressed. They also urged that whilst supporting coherence and integrated approaches in the pursuit of goals enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the specific mandate and purpose of humanitarian action should be preserved. The distinction between the roles and mandates of civil and military actors had to also be preserved and made visible to beneficiary populations. The commitment of UNHCR to collaborate with the international community in addressing the humanitarian consequences of climate change had been thorough. UNHCR had been working with other agencies within the framework of the High Level Committee on Programmes Working Group on Climate Change. In conclusion, the difficult operational backdrop against which UNHCR carried out its activities made it all the more important for them to team up with other humanitarian actors in order to maximize available resources and competences.



For use of the information media; not an official record


ECOSOC09025E