GENERAL ASSEMBLY
61st Session
13 November 2006
Strengthening of the Coordination of Humanitarian & Disaster Relief Assistance, Including Special Economic Assistance
Statement by Senator George Campbell
Parliamentary Adviser
Australian Mission to the United Nations
(Check against delivery)
Madam President
The international humanitarian community is increasingly confronted with complex and changing crises. In response we must work to increase the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance and to accurately measure its impact. There is a moral and operational imperative to maximise the impact of humanitarian assistance. We should be able to demonstrate that we are doing so.
Australia supports the central and unique role of the United Nations in providing leadership and coordination of international humanitarian action. We were pleased that the Report of the Secretary General’s High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence, underlined the importance of the UN’s role in humanitarian action and gave greater impetus to the humanitarian reform agenda.
The humanitarian reform agenda, led by OCHA, has an integral role to play in improving humanitarian response capacity, coordination and financing. Australia supports these efforts and commends progress in improving UN coordination and enhancing the impact of humanitarian assistance. But, there is still work to be done to continue to improve effectiveness and to address key challenges associated with humanitarian action. Madam President, I would like to highlight a few areas where Australia believes we must continue to focus our collective efforts.
The humanitarian coordinator system is a critical part of the reform agenda. We have joined others in calling for the humanitarian coordinator system to be made stronger – and we wish to acknowledge the changes and improvements that have been made. We encourage OCHA to continue to develop the system, including through the selection and training of humanitarian coordinators and resident coordinators. It is important that the cadre of people available for deployment is further developed and deepened and in doing so we encourage active efforts to improve gender balance of the pool.
Steps to improve the response capacity of the UN system and individual agencies in key sectors are also important. In this regard we welcome the development of the cluster leadership approach and were pleased to contribute to the global cluster appeal. While there is still work to be done to develop the cluster approach, we have seen the positive impact it can have, for example in the response to earthquakes in Pakistan and Yogyakarta. The cluster approach is also a useful mechanism for addressing major shortcomings in response capacity globally. We urge OCHA and others in the humanitarian community to continue to strengthen the cluster approach.
Financing is also an important pillar of the humanitarian reform agenda. The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has had a positive impact on humanitarian response. Australia provided A$10 million to the CERF and we are pleased with the results delivered so far. There is though still work to be done to improve procedures and to strengthen comparative needs assessment between under funded emergencies. We encourage OCHA to continue to strengthen the CERF and to broaden its donor base, including by attracting private donors and contributions from a wide range of member states.
Madam President, Australia strongly supports the efforts by OCHA to build partnerships with and within the broader humanitarian community. Partnerships are in our view now a ‘fourth pillar’ of the humanitarian reform agenda. We believe the forum (held in July) to bring together all humanitarian actors was an important step. The agreements that arose from this were positive. We look forward to hearing more about how they are taken forward and the impact that stronger partnerships will have on humanitarian preparedness and response. We would add that military and civilian police relationships are also important in humanitarian response and efforts should be made to strengthen coordination with these actors.
Madam President, violence continues to be deliberately directed against civilian populations and aid workers in emergency situations. This will not be stopped without the full support of the UN and its member states. Madam President, in particular, it is of grave concern to Australia that gender based violence continues to be a real and significant problem during and in the aftermath of humanitarian emergencies. We call on the United Nations to strengthen its resolve to combat gender based violence. It is vital that we focus necessary resources and efforts to preventing and prosecuting gender-based violence, alongside working to address the causes of such violence. We urge all member states to ensure that their national laws and judicial and community mechanisms are adequate to prevent, address, promptly investigate and prosecute gender based violence, and to support the victims of such acts.
Conclusion
Madam President, before I conclude, I would like to express Australia’s appreciation to Under Secretary General Jan Egeland for the work he has done over the last three years at the helm of OCHA and as Emergency Relief Coordinator. While Mr Egeland will no doubt be looking forward to new challenges, we believe he can reflect with pride on his achievements and the impact he has had on bringing humanitarian assistance to those in need and strengthening the system to respond. On behalf of the Australian Government I would like to convey my sincere congratulations to Mr Egeland for his outstanding contribution to the United Nations system and international development. We wish him well for the future.
Finally, let me reiterate Australia’s strong support for the current humanitarian reform agenda. The reforms are beginning to demonstrate their potential and our challenge is to ensure that over the coming years this potential is realised. We must ensure the momentum and progress achieved thus far is sustained and look to other ways that we can continue to improve the impact of humanitarian assistance.
Thank you