20 January 2005

Bonn, Germany: The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) today announced that it is contributing US$2.6 million to support the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in providing immediate recovery and long-term rehabilitation assistance to victims of the 26 December tsunamis in Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

As aid agencies’ efforts shift from providing relief to helping in recovery, UN Volunteers working in the affected communities will focus on re-establishing livelihoods in key economic sectors such as fishery, agriculture, small-scale food processing, and handicrafts. UN Volunteers will team up with community-based organizations and local volunteers to also address people left vulnerable in the disaster’s wake – households mainly consisting of women and children.

A number of volunteer-run centres are being planned in many communities to help people overcome various forms of trauma caused by the disaster. UNV is currently supporting one such centre in Banda Aceh – one of the most devastated cities in Indonesia’s Aceh province. The centres will provide information on government relief benefits and health issues, and individual and group counselling.

Rebuilding infrastructure – including houses, schools and hospitals – is an equally urgent priority in the affected communities. UNV, together with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), is focusing on mobilizing volunteers to help rebuild urban areas in Banda Aceh and Sri Lanka’s Galle. UNV and several German cities also intend to establish a ‘city-to-city’ exchange of volunteer experts in various aspects of city planning and construction.

BMZ’s financial support will also help to enhance the disaster preparedness and resilience of local communities through training in disaster mitigation activities, such as search and rescue, emergency evacuation planning, formation of response teams, and implementation of early warning systems. UNV, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of India have implemented such training in thousands of villages throughout that country. Similar initiatives would be undertaken in the countries targeted in the project supported by BMZ.

Since 27 December, UN Volunteers have been helping UN agencies, governments and communities in their efforts to meet immediate relief needs. Throughout the affected regions, UN Volunteers are assisting with the setting up of temporary shelters for the displaced, coordinating the distribution of food and non-food items, acting as focal points between various aid agencies, disseminating information to governments and donors on aid operations, and encouraging community volunteers to be involved in reconstruction activities.