International Relief Efforts for Tsunami
Victims
By Brian Costlow
More than one
month after the deadly tsunami struck in
southeast Asia, relief from various corners of the world continues to
pour
in. Immediately following the
devastating tsunami, traditional donors like the United
States, Japan
and members of the European Union set relief efforts in motion,
committing $350
million, $540 million and $529 million respectively in humanitarian aid. However, the scope and magnitude of the
December 26 disaster, which killed over 220,000 people in 11 countries,
and
left tens of thousands more missing and feared dead, has prompted
relief aid
from some nations outside the traditional donor community.
The United Nations
has confirmed that Iran,
for example, has airlifted 600 tons of supplies to aid relief efforts
to isolated
areas of Myanmar. In appearing more conscious of its regional
relationships and the responsibilities that flow from it, China
has pledged $83 million in aid. China’s
contribution, in perspective, is slightly more than Sweden’s,
and a bit less than Italy’s.
China
has also developed a creative way to generate support for relief
efforts – both
financial and political – by issuing a special postage stamp that
depicts the
Chinese people’s efforts to help the tsunami victims.
At the issuing stamp ceremony, the head of
the State Post Bureau donated $2.5 million to the Chinese Red Cross
Association
for tsunami victims on behalf of the Chinese postal staff.
China
has also rushed relief workers to Indonesia,
Thailand
and Sri Lanka.
Many experts sense
that the crisis in the Indian Ocean region was
a catalyst to broaden the pool of donors, beyond
the same 10 or 12 countries that respond on a regular basis, and to
leverage
the growing economies of countries like China,
Brazil
and Argentina.
Acknowledging the
growing global pool of support for the
tsunami relief efforts, U.N. spokesperson Jamie McGoldrick indicated to
Reuters
AlertNet that “We’ve got new countries who have never donated before,
like Brazil
and Qatar.”
The phenomenon for
expanded global aid to disaster victims
appears to hold promise for sustainability as well. Jan Egeland, the
U.N.
Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs stated at a news conference
that “In
many ways, the Indian Ocean will be a
laboratory now for
a better world system…and here I look to traditional and new donors to
come and
help us.”
Sources:
Reuters News www.alertnet.org
Associated Press www.azcentral.com/news
Tehran Times www.tehrantimes.com
www.indianinfo.com
Christian Science
Monitor