Statement by Mr Martin Faller Head of Office Coordination and ...

Statement by Mr Martin Faller at the Public Hearing of the Committee on
Development of the European Parliament – Brussels - 29.01.08
12. For example: Only three months ago Cyclone Sidr devastated parts of
Bangladesh and caused terrible destruction. It is important to remember that
while 3,300 people lost their lives in the Cyclone Sidr, the cyclone’s power was
such that the death toll could easily have matched the 500,000 people who
died in a very similar cyclone in 1970. In the years since the 1970 cyclone,
massive operations have been conducted by the Bangladesh Red Crescent
Society, the government of Bangladesh and many other actors in risk
reduction. Over 650,000 people were evacuated to Cyclone Shelters, many of
which are built and managed by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.
13. For example: During the Rasht earthquake operation in July 2007 in Tajikistan,
local disaster response committees responded within 3.5 hrs, and national
response teams were on the spot within 5.5 hrs, government aid came into the
disaster zone two days later. The intervention was not just fast, but also
qualified as appropriate.
It is interesting to note that in Tajikistan a disaster risk management
partnership worked as a permanent coordination mechanism (REACT - Rapid
Emergency Assessment and Coordination Team), involving government and
specialized national agencies, NGOs, donors and the UN system. Five
sectoral sub-groups were established following the cluster model (food, non
food items and shelter, health, education and water and sanitation).
14. From villages to capital cities, we need to build the capacity of communities
and to prepare and help themselves. More attention needs to be paid to
improving national and regional preparedness and contingency planning,
particularly for natural disasters, with the full involvement of national
authorities, the UN, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, NGOs and civil society.
International capacity for early warning, international coordination and rapid
deployment remains crucial – but it has to be better connected with local and
regional resources.
15. Climate change is expected to lead to an increase in the frequency and/or
severity of extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, droughts and
tropical cyclones, and the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue.
Looking back over the past three decades, we can see a dramatic increase in
the number of weather related disasters. Between 2004 and 2007, the number
of emergencies that the International Federation responded to increased from
278 to 509 per year.
16. We strongly recommend that the implementation plans for the
Consensus will include further support of the international community to
strengthen local, national and regional capacities for disaster
management. The International Federation stresses the need to enhance the
ability of local communities, civil society and the Red Cross and Red Crescent
to deal not only with response but also with extreme vulnerability. This may be
the most viable way of reducing the number of deaths, injuries, illnesses and
overall impact of disasters, diseases and public health emergencies at a time
when climate change threatens increasing humanitarian crises.
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