In further response to the effects of last week's earthquake and
tsunami, World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn arrived in
Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday ahead of a January 6 meeting with
ASEAN leaders.
"This is a crisis of massive proportions, requiring a massive
response from the international community," said Wolfensohn. "I am
traveling to the region to see for myself the extent of peoples'
needs on the ground, and to help advance further the World Bank's
response. We are working hand-in-hand with all our partners as we
help these countries make the transition from humanitarian relief
to long-term recovery."
The ASEAN meeting aims to coordinate relief efforts with the
affected governments, international organizations and other
donors.
Wolfensohn will then travel to Aceh with UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan and other officials to see the damage and talk with
survivors. He will continue to Sri Lanka and the Maldives to visit
affected areas and discuss reconstruction priorities and their
funding with government officials.
In
the days immediately following the crisis, the World Bank announced
it would commit an initial US$250 million for emergency
reconstruction while further financing for longer-term
reconstruction was identified.
Priority is being given to urgent rehabilitation activities,
assistance to communities in need of health and livelihood support,
and critical reconstruction projects. The bank is coordinating with
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UN and relief agencies
to allow for a smooth transition from relief to development
support.
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government and World Bank staff in Colombo have been
in close dialogue since the crisis. The bank's response so far has
included:
--Releasing resources from ongoing projects for medicines, water
purification and storage tanks, pumps and earth moving
equipment;
--Reviewing the portfolio of bank projects to determine additional
resources that can be released, or readied for the longer-term.
--Readying a team to be in Sri Lanka within the week to begin the
work of assessing reconstruction needs, and preparing an
appropriate response. Apart from resources from portfolio
restructuring, the rapid processing of an Emergency Recovery Credit
is foreseen by end February.
--Agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that they will
work hand-in-hand to prepare the next stage of the response.
Indonesia
The bank, the ADB and the government are working jointly with other
partners to assess needs and develop a reconstruction plan. A full
technical assessment mission is expected to visit Aceh as soon as
is practical. The bank is discussing the following options with the
government:
--Using existing operations on the ground, including the
possibility of mobilizing the bank's network of thousands of local
workers. The bank is already in the process of activating this
network, which could be up and running in a matter of weeks and
greatly strengthen rural coverage.
--Reorienting the bank's existing project portfolio, including the
use of unused balances without disrupting the momentum or success
of the projects involved.
--Complementing planned projects with specific components for
Aceh.
--Providing additional Emergency Recovery and Reconstruction
Assistance in the form of a specific new emergency operation.
The Maldives
The government of the Maldives asked the World Bank for assistance
the day after the disaster and established a Disaster Response and
Mitigation Committee and a national center to coordinate the
response. The bank is also setting up a temporary liaison center in
the island capital of Male. The bank's response to date has
been:
--An advance team arriving early Tuesday (January 4) to begin
reprogramming funds of about US$12 million and to launch a medium
term needs assessment following the UN's initial one.
--The bank and the ADB agreed with the government that they should
form a joint team to begin work in Maldives this week.
--The bank's private sector affiliate, the International Finance
Corporation, which has supported the islands' tourism sector, is
also likely to contribute staff to assist in assessing the damage
and financing options for the tourism sector.
The World Bank is now mobilizing assessment teams, including a
stand by team in the event that additional countries require
assistance. Options for increased regional cooperation, including
the feasibility of establishing a regional tsunami warning system,
will also be assessed.
Mr. Wolfensohn noted that implementing longer-term reconstruction
means making the right choices now. "The challenge before us is
that we not rebuild the poverty and circumstances that made today's
victims so vulnerable in the first place," he said.
(China.org.cn January 4, 2005)
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