MANILA, Oct 23 -- Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan has urged civil groups to be more
involved in humanitarian disaster relief, especially in Asean member-states.
Citing the Malaysian
non-government organization (NGO) Mercy Malaysia, Surin commended the group for
their good work in disaster relief and construction all around the world, a
statement from the Asean said.
“The kind of leadership shown by
Mercy Malaysia in humanitarian assistance is the kind of leadership we will
like to see from NGOs and civic groups in Asean in the same area of work,” said
Surin during the inaugural Raja Nazrin Shah Lecture Series.
Other than Asean countries, the
Malaysian NGO has also been active in projects stretching to Africa, and
Afghanistan.
Surin’s suggestion for Mercy
Malaysia to expand the lecture to include regional players in next year’s
meeting, also won nods of approval from the Regent of Perak.
He also reminded the audience
that the involvement of the private sector and the military, are essential in
humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.
Expanding on the theme, he
reminded the hundred-strong audience that the important roles of partners like
the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and friendly governments, in what he
described as the “Coalition of Mercy.”
“We have many groups and partners
out there who have the expertise and are willing to help us,” he said, pointing
out that the civil society has important role in “fleshing out the skeleton” or
structure that Asean governments have built. One such area is the formation of
Rapid Deployment Force in Asean member-states (AMS).
“Each country should have a list
of say 50 people who can be deployed quickly and with minimum fuss in a
disaster. These names should be cleared by all the AMS so that they can render
assistance at the first opportunity.”
Tracing Asean’s efforts in
disaster relief and reconstruction, Surin pointed out that the regional
grouping has done well, but there is room for improvement.
Pointing out that three AMS, the
Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, are among the world’s top 10 vulnerable
countries because of geography, Surin said there is a need to work on a more
pro-active approach, such as disaster risks reduction.
From the outpour of support and
aid in the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, as well as the 2008 Cyclone
Nargis disaster in Myanmar, plus last year’s Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the
world and the region are certainly not short of compassion. The challenge is
getting better organized, so response can be even faster, and preventive
measures can be taken where they are feasible.
“Asean must build greater
resilience in its relief and reconstruction capabilities,” he said. Expressing
confidence in the evolvement of disaster relief efforts, he said that’s because
it boils down to “connectivity between one human heart to another.”
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