Remember Those Big Tsunami Pledges? Most Countries Don't

by Thalif Deen
 

(IPS) UNITED NATIONS -- When UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was asked about the sluggish flow of financial aid to tsunami-affected countries more than three months after the massive devastation, he told reporters: "Pledges are good, but cash is better."

So far, about $6.7 billion have been promised for tsunami relief by donor countries, private individuals and corporations, of which about $5.8 billion have been pledged by 92 governments.

"Such generosity had never been recorded in the history of the United Nations," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland told reporters last week.

But of the $6.7 billion pledged, only about $2.5 billion have been "recorded as committed or paid up." The problem, Egeland says, is "to convert pledges into cash commitments."

The secretary-general reinforced Egeland's complaint when he told reporters Monday at the Oslo donor conference for Sudan: "And that is why we are appealing to governments to give us as much liquid cash as possible."

Rick Augsburger, emergency response program director at the global humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS), told IPS that some donors weigh risks and vulnerabilities before pledges are honoured.

He admits that pledges are not all in, "but that's not a reason to deduce they won't be honoured. Some pledges are tied to policy about reconstruction."

Asked about Annan's request for cash, Augsburger said: "It's true that we can't build a house on a pledge."

Annan said that very often, it does take a long time to transform pledges into cash. "And perhaps we, also at the United Nations, should become a bit more aggressive in following up with governments, maybe sending people out to try and remind them to make good on their pledges, or periodically issuing reports as to who offered what and who has paid what," he added.

"We are familiar with the phenomenon of countries pledging aid when the media spotlight is illuminating their actions, but then not following through when the cameras have moved on," Stephen Greene, interim media director of Oxfam America, told IPS.

The resulting shortfall in anticipated resources can significantly hamper rebuilding efforts and complicate the work of private aid groups, which are left uncertain about whether infrastructure projects normally financed by major donors will in fact be completed, he added.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, currently the UN special envoy for tsunami recovery, told a UN news conference Wednesday that "more than three months after the tsunami killed an estimated 30,000 people, the challenge is not just to rebuild communities, but to rebuild them better."

"And that means rebuilding schools which are child-friendly, health care services which are accessible to all, and setting into place early warning systems so that such massive loss of life can be prevented in the future," he added.

Clinton, who has already visited some of the tsunami-affected countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, said: "We don't know whether donor fatigue has set in, and whether commitments aren't being kept, until we have national plans (of reconstruction)."

"You know, all these national plans will say, 'here's what we plan to do within what time frame in these areas; here's what it costs; here's how much we can come up with.' Then, what we will attempt to do is to figure out how to fill the gap with donor governments and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)."

"At that point we'll know whether there's donor fatigue," he added.

Clinton also said there are "lots of NGOs that have enormous amounts of money."

"I mean the Red Cross has got a staggering amount of money. And you can't really expect them to spend it until there's a plan on which they can spend it, where they can say, okay, this is where I fit into this plan; this is where I belong and what I am going to do," he added.

"So there may be donor fatigue, but it hasn't had a chance to express itself yet," Clinton said.

Standing beside Clinton, Annan told reporters: "I rely on him to make sure that donors not only pledge but disburse the money needed for recovery and reconstruction, and that it actually reaches the communities who need it most."

Last week, The New York Times reported that recovery has been exceedingly slow in Aceh province in Indonesia, where nearly 126,000 died in the tsunami disaster.

"There is little sign in Aceh of the billions of dollars in donations from governments, aid organizations, civic groups and individual people who reached out to help from around the world," the Times said.

Responding to the Times report, Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive of the U.S.-based Mercy Corps, said: "We must recognize that this humanitarian response is unprecedented and requires a long-term focus." His group alone has worked with 64 villages in the Aceh province, he added.

Oxfam's Greene said that just as important as the amount of aid forthcoming, however, is that it be used as effectively as possible.

"Oxfam is encouraging governments and aid agencies to coordinate their efforts carefully, to adhere to internationally recognized standards for aid delivery, and to ensure that tsunami survivors are full participants in rebuilding their communities."

Greene said Oxfam has major operations in Sri Lanka, India, and Indonesia, "where we plan to continue doing rehabilitation for the next several years." Oxfam also has smaller programs in Thailand, Somalia, and the Maldives.

"We are paying particular attention to the needs of women, and we are also seeking out vulnerable, socially marginalized populations such as the Dalits in India and Burmese migrant workers in Thailand to ensure that they receive adequate aid," he added.

"While we continue to provide water and sanitation services in some areas, we are now also helping to rebuild communities and to restore livelihoods," Greene said.

Augsberger of Church World Service said that "reconstruction at this point is still very much at the policy level, especially in Aceh province. The Indonesian government is being extremely sensitive about who they will allow to build there and where."

Meanwhile, he said, CWS remains actively focused on water and sanitation needs in Aceh Province. "Many people in Aceh province are still without these basics, and it's pretty hard to rebuild a community without access to water and sanitation."

Augsburger says that CWS is also now focusing on the non-bricks-and-mortar aspects of recovery: livelihoods assistance, civil strengthening programs, capacity building, disaster management and preparedness training, and closer coordination with local NGOs and community-based organizations operating in the area.

That middle-term emergency program, he said, is expected to continue into much of 2006.