A Meeting on Humanitarian Assistance to Tsunami-Affected Communities Notes for REMARKS by THE HONOURABLE aileen carroll Minister of International Cooperation at Geneva, Switzerland January 11, 2005 (CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY) On behalf of the Government and the people of Canada, I wish to extend our most sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones in this horrific tragedy. Last week, I visited the Banda Aceh region. I left with two indelible impressions. First, the damage — to people's lives, to buildings, to communities — is of breathtaking proportions. In downtown Banda Aceh, fishing boats are smashed into buildings kilometres from the sea. I spoke with a man who had lost sixteen family members to the tsunami. It is impossible to imagine his personal devastation. But I came away with a second impression: optimism and respect for the men and women already rebuilding their lives. In Banda Aceh, teams were busy clearing rubble as I visited. And the man who had lost so many family members had insisted on staying on the job, driving humanitarian workers where they needed to go. I have no doubt that these communities will recover and rebuild with the assistance of their own national governments and the support of the international community. Let me assure you that Canada is there to help in any and every way that we can… for as long as it takes. Canada's Prime Minister will be visiting the region in the coming weeks. He will discuss how Canada can best cooperate with our friends in the regions and around the world to ensure that the international community's response is timely and effective. Today, I am pleased to reiterate Prime Minister Martin's announcement of $425 million for tsunami-affected countries, of which $265 million will be directed towards humanitarian relief and rehabilitation efforts. This includes the Canadian government's commitment to match the generous contributions of individual Canadian citizens. As part of this package, Canada will be providing $36 million to the UN Flash Appeal. As well, Canadian reconstruction efforts will be targeted to longer-term recovery so that communities can heal and restore themselves. We look to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to coordinate reconstruction programs in collaboration with the governments of the affected countries. But we must honour our pledges and disburse the promised funds in a timely manner. The principles of good humanitarian donorship should inform our efforts. Our responses must be needs-based, demand-driven, flexible, and coordinated. While we are reinforcing the lead role of the United Nations in coordinating the international humanitarian response, it is vital that this coordinating role be reinforced and supported by donor countries and the governments of the impacted countries. The onus to avoid competitive entanglements is a serious one, and the populations of our donor nations, who have contributed hugely through personal donation and commitments, will not be tolerant of a delivery system that fails to be efficient, rapidly deployed and accessible to all victims and communities. At the same time, our response to this disaster must not come at the expense of ongoing crises such as those in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti. For the past two weeks our preoccupation has been meeting the immediate humanitarian needs. While this will continue to be a focus in some areas, it is clear that many communities are ready to begin re-establishing livelihoods. For example, in many of the fishing villages that dot the coast of the Indian Ocean, people will not be able to rebuild their lives until they can rebuild their boats. Restoring people's livelihoods is an important safeguard to ensure that the increasing number of temporary camps for displaced people remain truly temporary. Key to these efforts are the human rights and dignity of the people affected. It is vital that affected communities are full participants in the reconstruction efforts, and that women are integral to this process. As some tsunami-hit areas suffer from internal conflict, it is imperative that assistance does not exacerbate existing tensions. Opportunities for peacebuilding should be sought out. This disaster underlines the importance of strengthening global disaster preparedness and early warning mechanisms. The Kobe Conference will provide a key opportunity to continue such discussions. Over the past few weeks, we have been reminded how poverty compounds the devastation caused by natural events. Many people around the world live without the means to anticipate, escape, or adequately respond to such crises. Earthquakes, flooding, outbreaks of disease, and ongoing drought needlessly claim the lives of the poor time and time again. It is within our power to eradicate poverty and to build a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world for all. Together, we can make a difference.
