General Assembly Session 62 meeting 54

The Acting President

Before proceeding further, I would like to inform members of a correction to the second line, in the English texts, of operative paragraph 14 of draft resolution A/62/L.12. That line should read "within existing resources, the efforts of the United Nations system and with other", adding the word "with". The paragraph will then continue as reflected in the document.

Mr. Davide (Philippines)

Let me begin by expressing the solidarity of the Philippines with the Government and people of Bangladesh at this time of sorrow and suffering that the recent cyclone has caused to their nation. The Philippines expresses its heartfelt sympathy to the victims and assures Bangladesh and its people of the prayers and hopes of the Philippines for their early recovery from this catastrophe.

The Philippines commends and congratulates the Secretary-General on his report under agenda item 71, entitled "Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance" continued in document A/62/87. We fully concur with his conclusions and recommendations in the light of the severity of natural disasters that may be associated with climate change, and the need for special focus on developing countries. This is especially true with respect to their vulnerable peoples, due to the difficulties and constraints developing countries have in facing the immediate effects of these disasters, not only in mitigating the inevitable consequences of natural disasters, but also in finding measures and adopting strategies that would make their adaptation to the consequences of natural disasters a less painful experience. At the same time, they must work to ensure preparedness for future occurrences.

The Philippines takes particular note of the Secretary-General's report on humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation for the Philippines, which is included in his report in document A/62/310. My delegation is grateful for the comprehensive narrative of the assistance rendered by the United Nations to the Philippines in connection with the oil spill on 11 August 2006 from a tanker off the south-western coast of the Province of Guimaras, in the central Philippines, close to my own province of Cebu.

I was still in the Philippines when this tragic incident occurred. It was an unprecedented maritime disaster that caused severe damage which will take years to repair and for the affected areas to recover. The Philippines further takes note of the Secretary-General's recommendations and conclusions, which no doubt will send a strong message to the international community for its continued humanitarian support.

My country expresses its gratitude to the Secretary-General for his report on the Philippines and puts on record its debt of gratitude to all those who responded immediately and provided assistance to my country, both bilaterally and through the United Nations system, particularly through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNICEF, in the post-disaster rehabilitation phase. The rapid needs assessment mission, led by UNDP and involving the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of Civil Defense of the Philippine Government, drafted an early recovery assessment report that proved to be an essential guide to the measures to be taken. All the help extended to the Philippines, especially to those directly affected by the oil spill, lessened the tragic impact of this disaster. It has been said that gratitude is the language of the heart. In that regard, the Philippines' heart is full.

However, in paragraph 60 of his report, the Secretary-General concludes that

"There is still significant need for additional support in achieving the longer-term objectives that include: full restoration of the damaged environment; further development and strengthening of alternative livelihood programmes; improved disaster risk management; preparedness and mitigation to build disaster-resilient communities; and promoting development in the tourism sector".

Over a year after this unfortunate calamity, the Province of Guimaras, its people and economy are still far from regaining normal life and the promise of a bright future. The oil retrieval operations from the sunken hull of the MT Solar 1 ended in April of this year, with less than 5,000 litres of bunker oil recovered, out of a total of over 2.1 million litres. This means that almost the entire load of oil was dispersed in the pristine waters off Guimaras. It seems difficult to describe this large amount -- 2.1 million litres -- as merely an "oil spill"; unlike a spill that can be easily cleaned up, the pernicious effects of this event will continue to be felt for many, many years.

We need not dwell on the obvious environmental or human respiratory-related health impact of the polluting oil. It should be noted, however, that the first rapid assessment of the oil spill, conducted by the University of the Philippines in Visayas, also found significant psycho-social effects on normal living conditions engendered by the loss of habitat and the strenuous clean-up efforts. The long-term effects on human health and the environment have yet to be evaluated or accounted for. In terms of the economy, the most direct effect of the oil spill remains the loss of livelihood for the affected population.

A recent study presented last month at the Ninth National Symposium on Marine Science revealed a 65 per cent decline in fish abundance in the waters off Guimaras since the event of August 2006. The Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources and mangrove experts also reported the death of at least 600 mature trees in mangroves that serve as breeding and feeding grounds for fish. These findings seemingly validate the observations and complaints of the fisherfolk and residents in the affected areas that their fish catch has substantially decreased.

The local tourism industry also has not recovered from the disaster, as tourist arrivals have decreased in number compared to previous years. Even though only an estimated 20 per cent of beach tourism was actually affected by the oil spill, other destinations on the island suffered due to the impression that the entire island was contaminated by oil sludge. Unfortunately, even the indemnification provided by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund has been described as being insufficient in terms both of the amount and coverage.

Despite this sad, painful reality that I have just described, there is also much to be said for the optimism and resolve of the local authorities and the people of Guimaras to rise above adversity. The international community and the national Government have put in place plans and programmes to help speed up recovery, and the company whose oil caused these problems, PETRON, remains fully engaged in the healing process. It is hoped that, after hearing its name mentioned here, PETRON will do more.

My delegation hopes that the international community and the United Nations system will continue to render assistance and provide guidance, as needed, for the full recovery of the environment and the people of Guimaras. What they will do will also provide hope to other States and peoples who suffer from natural or man-made disasters.

Mr. Cekuolis (Lithuania)

My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Portugal on behalf of the European Union. In addition, allow me to make the following comments.

Lithuania thanks the Secretary-General for his report submitted for consideration under agenda item 71 (d). We support the findings of the report and welcome the efforts of all relevant parties involved in studying, mitigating and minimizing the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.

Lithuania has a number of people affected by the Chernobyl disaster, of whom about 6,000 are registered as belonging to the high-risk group and suffering from its consequences, as they took direct part in the clean-up and liquidation of the effects of the nuclear disaster.

Together with relevant non-profit organizations operating on behalf of the victims, the Government of Lithuania is pursuing a number of programmes and activities in the areas of social security and health care for people affected by Chernobyl. Legislation has been adopted to define the juridical status of persons affected while eliminating the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Relevant Government decisions provide for compensation to persons affected due to their participation in the clean-up of the nuclear accident or to their relatives in case of the demise of direct victims. If health conditions deteriorate, the persons affected are entitled to repeated compensation. They are also entitled to certain types of free medical treatment.

A national Chernobyl health centre has been established under the Ministry of Health. The centre keeps a database on individuals who participated in the Chernobyl clean-up, organizes regular health care check-ups, offers treatment and advice, analyses and publishes relevant data, organizes conferences on the health care of affected persons, and maintains ties with organizations that deal with radiation exposure issues. A special centre was established for children born to the families of affected individuals.

Some time ago, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the 2006-2010 programme of health care for persons who took part in eliminating the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, aimed at providing relevant health care and seeking to minimize the rates of sickness, morbidity and disabilities. The programme also aims at contributing to international research on the impact of light radiation exposures. The programme is coordinated by the Chernobyl health centre of the Republic of Lithuania.

Mr. Pramudwinai (Thailand)

I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this joint meeting, which provides us with a timely and useful opportunity to call for the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

At the outset, allow me also to join other colleagues in expressing our sympathy to the people of Bangladesh on its tragic national calamity. May I just add that Thailand has conveyed its deep condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh and is working on its relief contribution to the people of that country.

The recent catastrophe once again serves as a warning sign on the devastating impacts of uncontrollable natural disasters derived from both natural phenomena and man-made activities. The more severe and frequent natural hazards are alerting us to call for stronger cooperation in humanitarian assistance.

Thailand welcomes the comprehensive report of the Secretary-General concerning international cooperation on humanitarian assistance in natural disasters, from relief to development. The highlighted significant trends and their humanitarian implications lead us to set priorities in the field of humanitarian assistance and rapid response to disasters. The updated figures demonstrate that a number of hydro-meteorological and geological hazards, as well as epidemics, have increased dramatically. Those natural disasters have unleashed multiple hazards on society, particularly on the poorest, who are the most vulnerable. While provisions for recovery have been and are being provided through various international and national relief efforts, we expect to observe longer-term, well-coordinated and more concrete and concerted efforts to mitigate the impact of natural disasters through disaster prevention and preparedness measures.

Thailand wishes to see an integrated approach on the part of national or regional entities in partnering with such United Nations agencies as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)- UNESCO, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the United Nations Development Programme in order to ensure optimal synergies with other related efforts, avoid duplication of work and lead to a more effective and better coordinated response of humanitarian assistance to people affected by natural disasters and emergency situations.

We believe that humanitarian assistance should be firmly based on the actual needs on the ground and appropriate management, and equipped with sophisticated technology and sufficient resources. Strengthening preparedness, coordination and rapid response mechanisms in the wake of a disaster may provide an opportunity to mobilize support for investment in disaster preparedness and mitigation. However, mobilizing the resources involved is always one of the greatest concerns.

Thailand welcomes the establishment of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to fill that gap and takes note with appreciation of the timely response it puts on the ground. Thailand has also contributed annually to CERF. The efficiency of fund allocation in the recent case of the Peruvian earthquake last August has proven that CERF is a useful mechanism for generating early and prompt response to disasters and helps solve the problem of financial assistance delays and shortages. We are looking to see that effective response again in the recent case of Bangladesh.

At the regional level, Thailand's $10-million contribution to establishing the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Tsunami Regional Trust Fund, which is aimed at speeding up ongoing efforts to enhance national capacity and create a reliable tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia regions, has already assisted certain regional projects in disaster preparedness and in setting up an early warning system.

The Trust Fund was allocated to the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre for a training programme on community-based hazard map development for India and Bangladesh, as well as to the UNESCO/IOC project for strengthening tsunami warning and emergency responses by providing training workshops on the development of standard operating procedures in 16 countries located along the coastline of the Indian Ocean, from Iran to Timor-Leste. Also, a large portion of the fund was granted to the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, which was entrusted at the Phuket ministerial meeting of 2005 as a regional focal point for the tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean. It has installed tide-gauge stations in the coastal areas of Myanmar, the Philippines and Viet Nam to form an initial network in detecting tsunamis.

At this time, more than half of the initial budget provided by the Thai and Swedish Governments in 2005 -- in the amount of $12.5 million -- has been allocated to the projects to which I have referred. Meanwhile, many associated projects are still waiting in the pipeline. The establishment of a comprehensive multi-nodal network thus still requires substantive support from all parties concerned to fully achieve its objectives and further contribute to disaster reduction and mitigation in all regions of the world. Thailand would therefore like to call upon developed countries to make efforts to provide more contributions and technical cooperation related to the development of a natural disaster warning system.

In that regard, Thailand would like to commend the recent pledge of $400,000 by the Government of the Republic of Korea and the $2,000 contribution from Nepalese Government. In terms of technical assistance, Thailand would like to thank the United States for sponsoring the deployment in the Indian Ocean, in December 2006, of the first deep-ocean assessment and reporting of tsunami device, the so-called DART buoy. This sophisticated device will assist in detecting tsunami susceptibly generated by convergent plate movement in the deep sea, which will help to save millions of people living along the Indian Ocean coastline.

At the national level, Thailand was among the 168 countries that adopted the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. The strategic national action plan for disaster risk reduction is being prepared to provide direction for the country in undertaking disaster risk reduction over the next decade, in accordance with the context of the Hyogo Framework. The plan is expected to lead the country to meet the international safety standards by the year 2017.

I would like to further inform the Assembly that Thailand has paid great attention to the people who suffer the most when disaster strikes. We agree with the Secretary-General's report (A/62/323) concerning the evolving nature of risk patterns, which has implications for exposed groups in low-income settings.

We have made progress in integrating disaster reduction into local communities and school curriculums. Last year, the ministries concerned, in cooperation with the Asian Disaster Reduction Center, launched a project to educate school children in the tsunami-prone area on how to observe and respond to such a disaster. It is crucial to prepare our next generation and to make them aware of and resilient to the increasing multiple hazards that the Earth currently faces. Besides that programme, Thailand also promotes the involvement of local communities and civil society in disaster risk reduction activities through various initiatives -- such as the Mr. Disaster Warning programme, community-based disaster risk management and the civil defence volunteers programme. Thailand would be pleased to cooperate and share with other countries its experiences in this area.

Finally, I would like to express our thanks for the work of United Nations organizations involved in humanitarian assistance, as well as donor countries and organizations for their financial and technical support. Humanitarian assistance still requires a great deal of resources, technology and manpower. We believe that all platforms emerging from United Nations initiatives and coordination will lead us to more frequent and fruitful exchanges of good practices and further promote our cooperation in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.