14-11-2005 - Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance - Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

New York

Permanent Mission address: 150 East 42 Street, Level 33, New York, New York 10017 - Telephone: 1 212 351 6600 - Fax: 1 212 351 6610

GENERAL ASSEMBLY
14 November 2005

Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance

Statement by Natasha Smith, Counsellor (Development),
Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations

(Check against delivery)

Mr Chairman, please allow me to begin by again extending the Australian Government’s condolences to the people affected by the South Asian earthquake, particularly in Pakistan.

The South Asian earthquake is the most recent in a string of severe and devastating natural disasters, including the Indian Ocean tsunami and numerous hurricanes and cyclones. As a country that is prone to natural disasters ourselves, we are acutely aware of the threat they pose and the importance of disaster mitigation and preparedness. If 2005 has taught the world anything it is that disaster mitigation and emergency preparedness must be made an even higher priority, and integrated into development planning.

Mr Chairman, in the year since we last met to discuss humanitarian action, while there has been massive devastation and loss of life, there has also been incredible stories of survival and resilience. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the international humanitarian community for its efforts in rising to the unprecedented challenges it has faced over the past 12 months. This includes, in particular, Australia’s recognition of those national authorities who have worked courageously towards rebuilding their communities, restoring human dignity and alleviating the suffering of their people; which highlights the importance of building national capacities within the humanitarian system.

Australia continues to play our part in humanitarian response. We provide rapid and generous support for the survivors of crises and disasters both within our region and globally. Most recently Australia has provided 34.6 million Australian dollars in assistance for Pakistan. Earlier in the year, we responded rapidly to the Indian Ocean Tsunami placing teams and supplies on the ground to support national emergency relief efforts in the affected countries. Our ongoing commitment is reflected in a one billion dollar package for reconstruction and development in Indonesia, on top of 68 million Australian dollars in immediate humanitarian assistance. Further afield, last year Australia contributed 37 million Australian dollars in response to the protracted crises in Africa, including Sudan, Malawi, Niger and Southern Africa.

While the international system has responded to the many natural disasters over the past 12 months, they have all served to remind us just how crucial effective and timely humanitarian response capacity is if lives are to be saved, livelihoods protected and communities restored.

Mr Chairman,

I should also make clear that we recognise that it is not just in the case of natural disasters that the humanitarian community must be able to respond, but also in complex emergencies, where there are many unique challenges.

The complex environments in which we undertake humanitarian action highlight the need to continue to strive for a strengthened humanitarian response.

Strengthening humanitarian response is the key objective of the current humanitarian reform agenda, outlined by the Secretary General and led by OCHA. Australia is a strong supporter of humanitarian reform. Our interest is in demonstrable results on the ground and our goal is to better enable affected communities to rebuild their lives and restore dignity.

We seek to achieve this through increasingly effective application of resources and heightened levels of coordination and collaboration between partner governments and humanitarian institutions. Good progress has been made in a number of areas, however, we should continue to strive for further improvement. We encourage the United Nations to continue to build coordination and collaboration links during quiescent periods as well as in times of crisis.

We agree with key elements of the reform agenda – improved capacity, coordination and financing, and see these as an interdependent and interconnected package. If you like each element is like a leg of a three-legged stool. All elements of the agenda must be taken forward at the same time – none can stand alone.

The Australian Government considers more effective coordination, in particular a stronger Humanitarian Coordinator System, essential to improving response. We are keen to hear more from OCHA on the progress of this work. Similarly, steps to improve the capacity of the system and of individual agencies to respond in key sectors is important – we are watching with interest the use of the ‘sector lead’ model in Pakistan and are looking forward to an update from agencies on this and other efforts to improve capacity. Finally, but no less importantly, we agree that humanitarian financing has to be more timely and predictable. A key initiative to this end is the upgrade of the Central Emergency Response Fund. We support, in-principle, the CERF, are encouraged by the contributions that donors have made to date, and, subject to further discussion on it’s operation, are considering an Australian contribution.

Mr Chairman, we stand ready to work with OCHA, other humanitarian agencies and other donors to ensure that our humanitarian reform ‘stool’ is strong and sturdy.

We also continue to be strong and unequivocal supporters of the key principles of humanitarian action. We are committed to continuing to work with others to ensure the protection of civilians, unimpeded access for humanitarian actors and the importance of an effective approach to protect and provide assistance for IDPs. In this spirit, we encourage stakeholders to continue dialogue through a truly collaborative framework to improve the relevance, effectiveness and responsiveness of humanitarian action.

Finally, I would like to highlight the important issue of the transition from emergency support to development. The challenges of this phase cannot be underestimated, as we have seen post-tsunami. Coordination, capacity and financing are also critical during this period and we must all work together to ensure that transition is managed as effectively as emergency response.

Thank you