Aid for the tsunami
Sir: Contrary to Michael Howard's claim (Lessons of the tsunami the world forgot', 6 October) that the EU reacted slowly to the Solomon Islands tsunami crisis, European Commission personnel were dispatched to the area the very day disaster struck. On the basis of their assessment, we gave an immediate green light for €550,000 in emergency humanitarian aid to be channelled through Save the Children UK (implemented by their Australian arm) and the French Red Cross. We verified the use the funds were put to and concur on the excellence of the NGOs' work.
Speed being of the essence, the Commission's humanitarian aid is never delivered through governments. Fast-track financial procedures ensure funds are available within 48 hours. In the case of long-term development aid, the international consensus is that it should be delivered through governments, where possible, to improve ownership and help build local institutions. In the Solomon Islands, donors work together with the government to see how the distribution of aid can be improved. EU funds are being used to reconstruct roads and bridges (in partnership with the Asian Development Bank) and schools (to be implemented by Unicef). Unlike humanitarian aid, these operations are not life-saving but lifeimproving, and rely on careful planning for their success.
Anthony Gooch Head of Media, Representation of the European Commission to the UK, London SW1
Previous page
