UN Meeting on Humanitarian Assistance to Tsunami-affected Communities
Statement
by
Philippe Benedic
Resident Director General
European Representative Office
Asian Development Bank
at the
Geneva, Switzerland
11 January 2005
Excellencies, fellow panelists, ladies and gentlemen:
I would like to thank Mr. Egeland for the opportunity to provide this update on the Asian Development Bank’s response to the tsunami disaster.
As many here know, ADB has been a key player in Asia’s development for nearly four decades, supporting developing member countries through good times and bad – including significant support for rebuilding after disaster strikes. President Chino last week visited Aceh, the area most devastated by the recent earthquake and tsunami, and has fully mobilized ADB in response.
Today, we are well positioned to bring the benefit of our expertise and our resources to bear on helping our member countries recover from this terrible tragedy.
As President Tadao Chino announced last week, ADB’s initial financial contribution stands at $675 million. This includes grants and highly concessional funds of up to $500 million, in addition to reallocations from ongoing programs, directed to urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction work in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. We are in discussion with other countries to determine their needs for assistance. And, we are prepared to provide significant additional funding for longer-term reconstruction.
ADB will deliver its support in a timely fashion, tailor it to specific country needs, and ensure that it contributes to improved disaster mitigation and management over the long term.
We are working closely with Governments and development partners to conduct joint needs assessments to prioritize the use of funds. Our assessment teams in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia are coordinating efforts closely with other institutions and agencies. For example, in the Maldives, ADB experts are focusing on transport and telecommunications infrastructure, water supply and power needs, while the World Bank is focusing on education, health and housing. Our work will be similarly coordinated in Sri Lanka and Indonesia with the World Bank, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and other partners.
Based on these assessments, we will work with each country to produce tailored assistance programs, making every effort to maximize the use of grants and highly concessional funds. Besides addressing high-priority social and physical infrastructure, these funds will create jobs at a time when jobs are desperately needed.
Third, we are working with affected Governments and development partners to streamline procedures and ensure resources go where they are needed, quickly and efficiently.
We will also work with our partners to strengthen core capacities in local communities for delivering basic services and managing rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.
These initiatives will make a significant difference in meeting the needs of affected communities at this critical time. But, we must also look beyond this immediate horizon to create a safer world for future generations. Therefore, ADB has offered $1 million towards a feasibility study to examine options for an early warning system in the Indian Ocean. We anticipate working with a broad partnership of governments, the United Nations, NGOs and other international funding agencies on this project.
In addition, our recently adopted policy on post-conflict and disaster management will ensure that new and refurbished infrastructure financed by ADB, such as roads, bridges, schools and hospitals, is disaster-resistant and located away from vulnerable areas.
In closing, I would like to express, on behalf of ADB, our deepest sympathy for all victims of the tsunami, and our appreciation to the world for its heartfelt response. Let us now put all our might behind restoring normalcy and hope to the women, men and children of the afflicted communities.
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