Editorial: Keeping promises
Tsunami relief funds must keep flowing
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 8, 2005
An international conference to coordinate relief efforts in the countries devastated by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region brought forth new promises of aid, so much so that the total pledged now exceeds $3 billion. That's heartening. But the record of past disasters suggests that the momentum could be lost. That must not happen.
At the meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called on donors to promptly deliver at least $977 million to satisfy short-term needs for clean water, food, medicine, temporary shelter and other emergency items. And he added, with characteristic understatement: "We have often had gaps in the past, and I hope it is not going to happen in this case."
The gap Annan referred to is between the amounts promised and the amount actually delivered. It can be substantial. A Los Angeles Times report cited several recent examples. After an earthquake struck the Iranian city of Bam in 2003, more than $1 billion was pledged but by last month, according to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, only $17 million had been delivered. Similarly, less than a third of the $9 billion pledged after Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in 1998 has materialized.
Relief workers confront an enormous logistical challenge in getting assistance to those in need. But without the funds to pay for it, that effort will be all the more daunting. Annan called on the news media to "keep up the pressure" to help ensure that the money keeps flowing. We're happy to do our small part toward that end.
Go to: Sacbee / Back to story
This article is protected by copyright and should not be printed or distributed for anything except personal use.
The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852
Phone: (916) 321-1000
Tsunami relief funds must keep flowing
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 8, 2005
An international conference to coordinate relief efforts in the countries devastated by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region brought forth new promises of aid, so much so that the total pledged now exceeds $3 billion. That's heartening. But the record of past disasters suggests that the momentum could be lost. That must not happen.
At the meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called on donors to promptly deliver at least $977 million to satisfy short-term needs for clean water, food, medicine, temporary shelter and other emergency items. And he added, with characteristic understatement: "We have often had gaps in the past, and I hope it is not going to happen in this case."
The gap Annan referred to is between the amounts promised and the amount actually delivered. It can be substantial. A Los Angeles Times report cited several recent examples. After an earthquake struck the Iranian city of Bam in 2003, more than $1 billion was pledged but by last month, according to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, only $17 million had been delivered. Similarly, less than a third of the $9 billion pledged after Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in 1998 has materialized.
Relief workers confront an enormous logistical challenge in getting assistance to those in need. But without the funds to pay for it, that effort will be all the more daunting. Annan called on the news media to "keep up the pressure" to help ensure that the money keeps flowing. We're happy to do our small part toward that end.
Go to: Sacbee / Back to story
This article is protected by copyright and should not be printed or distributed for anything except personal use.
The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852
Phone: (916) 321-1000
No comments:
Post a Comment