Greatest ever peacetime relief operation underway

Greatest ever peacetime relief operation underway

This is an unprecedented global catastrophe and it requires an unprecedented global response.

— UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, quoted from UN urges “special” wave response, BBC, December 30, 2004

The United Nations says this is the largest ever relief operation it has undertaken.

As the World Bank reports, U.S. President Bush says America will lead a global relief effort, creating a coalition of US-led countries.

The US is often regarded as hostile to the United Nations, the premier international body, and so this coalition effort would appear to conflict and overlap with the enormous world wide, United Nations-led, relief operations.

The BBC notes, “[US Secretary of State, ] Mr Powell said the UN had chief responsibility for co-ordinating the aid effort, despite a move by Washington to set up a core group of donor countries with India, Australia and Japan.”

The UN head for this massive effort himself has said that this coalition is welcome, and complimentary to the United Nations efforts, not counter-productive.

Aid from people, governments, and various organizations around the world has resulted in impressive amounts in a short time. For example, Tsunami aid: Who's giving what, BBC, January 6, 2005 lists the following as government aid:

• Australia: $810m over 5 years (half on bilateral loans)
• Germany: $689m
• Japan: $500m
• EU: $623m
• US: $350m
• World Bank: $250m (diverted from existing programs)
• IMF: $1bn in emergency loans
• Norway: $182m
• Asia Development Bank: $175 (diverted from existing programs), $150m in new loans
• UK: $96m
• Italy: $96m
• Sweden: $80m
• Denmark: $75m
• Spain: $68m
• France: $66m
• Canada: $66m
• China: $63.1m
• South Korea: $50m over next three years
• Netherlands: $34m
• Saudi Arabia: $30m
• Qatar: $25m
• Switzerland: $24m

But many countries have also seen large private donations, some exceeding their government's donations. The same BBC article also lists some of those:

• Australia: $88m
• Germany: $200m
• United States: $120m
• Norway: $60m
• Britain: $189m
• Italy: $20m
• Sweden: $60m
• France: $49m
• Canada: $57m
• South Korea: $13m
• Netherlands: $35m
• Saudi Arabia: $31m
• Switzerland: $39m

Reuters lists many other examples of public responses including businesses (though it is not clear if these numbers get included in the private contributions).

By the time you read this, these numbers above are likely to be out of date, so please consult the sources listed above for updated numbers.

In addition to the above numbers, a lot more has also been offered, such as military aid.

Even though much has been pledged, as the BBC (mentioned above) also noted, “Delivery of aid remains a problem as much of the region's infrastructure has been shattered.” Some aid is not getting to areas that need it urgently, such as parts of Aceh.

Charity organizations and groups, such as the Disasters Emergency Committee in the U.K., (the main emergency organization), are stressing that less than a couple of cents for each dollar is going to administration costs. Furthermore, they suggest that people pledge money rather than food and other items, as this money can be spent nearer the location, so that things can be bought cheaper, and that local industries in affected countries can benefit, and that the relief experts can best determine what needs to be purchased.

In addition, charities and humanitarian organizations are raising the concern that attention must also turn to medium and long term rebuilding, as mainstream interest in relief and disasters typically lasts only while it makes for sensational headlines.