Philippines: UN and partners appeal for additional $28 million to help storm victims
Philippines: UN and partners appeal for additional $28 million to help storm victims
Tropical Storm Washi forced thousands of people out from their homes
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are seeking an additional $28.6 million to what was already requested earlier this month to support victims of the Sendong tropical storm in southern Philippines.
The emergency revision of the Philippines (Mindanao) Humanitarian Action Plan 2012 aims to provide clean water for drinking and bathing, food, emergency shelter and essential household items to the 471,000 worst-affected people in northern Mindanao for a period of three months.
The appeal also includes debris clearing to reduce health risks as well as logistical services that ensure life-saving programmes can be delivered without interruptions to those who need it the most.
The UN and humanitarian partners are working very hard to support Government-led efforts. The needs are, however, overwhelming.
The initial appeal, which was launched last week, asked for $38 million for the central region of Mindanao. However, after the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) further surveyed the situation on the ground, the appeal was revised for an additional $28 million to assist the northern Mindanao region and in particular the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Soe Nyunt-U, who returned from a two-day visit to the two cities yesterday, said he was shocked by the scale of destruction that he saw.
“It was as if the cities were hit by an inland tsunami,” he said. “Entire areas were completely flattened, only a few sturdy buildings remain standing, and these had sustained a lot of damage. Debris from houses, buildings and other structures that had been destroyed by the storm was all swept out to the sea, leaving huge areas devoid of all traces of habitation.”
According to the latest figures released by the Philippine Government, more than 1,060 people are dead or missing and 28,030 homes have been damaged or destroyed. In addition, more than 43,600 people are taking shelter in 51 evacuation centres and another 266,000 people are staying with relatives or in makeshift structures. The figures are expected to rise as more information becomes available.
“The overflowing generosity of the Filipino people is saving lives,” said Mr. Soe, adding that “the UN and humanitarian partners are working very hard to support Government-led efforts. The needs are, however, overwhelming.”
UN agencies have already boosted their relief efforts in the country over the past few days, including the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF said it was particularly concerned with providing clean water to children as the water systems for both Cagayan de Oro and Iligan have been destroyed, leaving most residents with no safe, reliable source of water.
“A lack of clean water and sanitation facilities is of great concern at the present time, as we know children are highly vulnerable to diarrhoeal disease and dehydration,” said Anselme Motcho, acting head of the UNICEF office in the Philippines. “We are also carefully monitoring the safety of children in the very overcrowded evacuation centres,” he added.
OCHA stated in a news release that the humanitarian response plan will be revised again within six weeks to reflect ongoing assessments and evolving humanitarian needs.
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About United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Fighting hunger worldwide
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
“In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After the cause of an emergency has passed, we use food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives.”
WFP is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded.
Born in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. We work towards that vision with our sister UN agencies in Rome — the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — as well as other government, UN and NGO partners.
In 2011 we aim to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in more than 70 countries. Around 10,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.
WFP’s five objectives:
- Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies
- Prepare for emergencies
- Restore and rebuild lives after emergencies
- Reduce chronic hunger and undernutrition everywhere
- Strengthen the capacity of countries to reduce hunger
WFP’s Mission statement
WFP is the food aid arm of the United Nations system. Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help to promote food security, which is defined as access of all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. ¹ The policies governing the use of World Food Programme food aid must be oriented towards the objective of eradicating hunger and poverty. The ultimate objective of food aid should be the elimination of the need for food aid.
Targeted interventions are needed to help to improve the lives of the poorest people – people who, either permanently or during crisis periods, are unable to produce enough food or do not have the resources to otherwise obtain the food that they and their households require for active and healthy lives.
Consistent with its mandate, which also reflects the principle of universality, WFP will continue to:
- use food aid to support economic and social development;
- meet refugee and other emergency food needs, and the associated logistics support; and
- promote world food security in accordance with the recommendations of the United Nations and FAO.
The core policies and strategies that govern WFP activities are to provide food aid:
- to save lives in refugee and other emergency situations;
- to improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people at critical times in their lives; and
- to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities, particularly through labour-intensive works programmes.
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> United Nations (UN).
The United Nations was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN: membership totals 192 countries.
When States become Members of the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an international treaty that sets out basic principles of international relations. According to the Charter, the UN has four purposes:
- to maintain international peace and security;
- to develop friendly relations among nations;
- to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;
- and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
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* The above story is adapted from materials provided by United Nations (UN)
** More information at United Nations (UN)
