Holy See Urges U.N. to Coordinate Disaster Response

NEW YORK, NOV. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See is encouraging the United Nations to help coordinate assistance programs that offer relief after natural or man-made disasters, like the cyclone that recently pounded Bangladesh.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, made this appeal Monday when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly on the topic of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

The archbishop first noted the devastation caused by conflicts and war, noting that last year, the high number of natural disasters was accompanied by "many and extremely costly man-made ones."

"Armed conflicts have devastated societies in many places, taken lives, ruined economies, set back development and frustrated efforts to restore peace," he said. "Given the terrible consequences of armed conflicts, we must once again recall that in the most unfortunate case of war, all parties involved must comply fully with the rules and principles of international law and international humanitarian law related to the protection of humanitarian personnel, such as allowing full unimpeded access by humanitarian personnel to all people in need of assistance."

Getting prepared

Archbishop Migliore lauded the efforts made by governments to prepare for natural disasters, and thus reduce the negative effects they cause.

"By increasing the knowledge and capacity of local actors to respond effectively to emergency situations, countries can reduce the long-term cost and consequences of a disaster," the prelate said. "Local civic and faith-based organizations are highly effective in this regard, and thus must be fully engaged, supported and, when necessary, duly protected."

Archbishop Migliore urged the United Nations to use its "position within the international community" to coordinate humanitarian responses to disasters.

"For this response to be effective," he explained, "this organization needs the full cooperation of the states directly concerned, especially in ensuring that the latter fully comply with their obligations under international law and international humanitarian law, and that they fulfill their responsibility to protect their own people."

The Holy See representative continued: "Moreover, as humanitarian agencies grow in number and variety, the United Nations could enhance collaboration among them and harness their complementary capacities, while respecting their differences and the specific aims and principles of each organization.

"Long-term and sustainable post-disaster recovery continues to be a challenge and a necessity. While individual governments are responsible for developing long-term recovery strategies, collaboration with local agencies is important, in particular with those that have acquired concrete knowledge of the situation and have long-term deployment of resources in the region. This could cushion the unintended harmful effects, especially on the more vulnerable sectors of society, of the transition from emergency humanitarian assistance to the recovery phase."

Long-term aid

Finally, the prelate called for sustained support from the international community in ensuring long-term recovering from disasters.

"An outpouring of goodwill and international solidarity most often follow live reports and images of humanitarian disasters, but as attention and resources move to other priorities, it quickly weakens or even disappears," he lamented.

"This could be very costly, especially in post-conflict situations in which the probability of a relapse to violence is very high, or in places where a truly catastrophic natural disaster wiped out the economic base of entire communities," the archbishop said. "A steady commitment is necessary if a sustainable and long-term recovery system of peoples and regions affected is to be achieved. We therefore welcome initiatives to highlight the often forgotten humanitarian situations and under-funded humanitarian efforts throughout the world."

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