Sergio Vieira de Mello, USG for Humanitarian Affairs, on his Mission to Central America

New York, 17 November
Last week, from 8-13 November I visited the four principal Central American countries that had been affected by hurricane Mitch. The objective of my visit was to take stock of the emergency response of the United Nations and assess what further measures should be taken to assist in the alleviation of the plight of the victims of hurricane Mitch. I also traveled with a message of solidarity and deep concern from the Secretary-General, which I delivered to the Presidents at their 9 November summit in El Salvador.

As you know, the United Nations has been deeply involved in the peace processes in the region. It thus feels a deep commitment to the continued stability and development of the countries in the region.

During the following five days I visited areas devastated by the effects of Mitch and the shelters set up for those who had lost their homes. I spoke to victims of the disaster and met with the Government Ministers leading the relief effort. I had the honour to meet separately with President Roberto Flores of Honduras and President Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua, the first ladies of El Salvador and Honduras, who are playing an exceptional role in responding to the needs generated by the disaster and with Vice-President Enrique Bolanos of Nicaragua and Vice President Luis Flores of Guatemala. I also met with UN colleagues and the diplomatic community in the four countries.

Although a disaster prone area, no disaster in the region has ever equaled in geographic scope or damage the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch, the epicenter of which hovered for six consecutive days over Honduras, an unprecedented phenomenon. The winds, torrential rains, landslides and floods led to the death of over ten thousand people. Over half a million persons have lost their homes and close to three million peoples' lives have been affected one way or the other. Well over half the casualties are in Honduras. Nicaragua sustained approximately a third of the casualties. Guatemala and El Salvador, although badly hit, sustained less damage.

The hurricane and subsequent tropical storm destroyed livelihoods as well as taking lives. In Honduras over seventy per cent of the agricultural production was lost. In Guatemala half of the export crop of bananas was destroyed. In Nicaragua, 57 per cent of the bean crop, the staple diet, was destroyed. Coffee and prawn production in the region was also severely diminished.

Where crops are intact, access to markets has been made more difficult or impossible. Trade between the countries has also been radically curtailed. In Honduras over half the roads have been destroyed. Over ninety bridges are destroyed or damaged. Communication systems, health centers, schools and sanitation installations have all been damaged. In Tegucigalpa only 22 per cent of the population have running water.

Mitch was more than natural disaster. The hurricane laid bare the extreme vulnerability of large parts of the population and revealed the pressing need for sustainable, environmentally responsible policies that focus on social equity and poverty alleviation, which leaders in the region recognized.

The loss of life, the devastation and ruin are the result of two sets of causes. The effects of a natural phenomenon, hurricane Mitch, were severely aggravated by man made factors. Demographic pressure leading to large-scale deforestation (100-150,000 hectares per annum in Nicaragua) and the cultivation of marginal lands without soil conservation measures provoked mudslides. Flooding was aggravated by a lack of adequate watershed management. The poorest with restricted access to land, live in marginal, high-risk areas, such as on the banks of rivers and in gullies. They thus bore the brunt of the effects of the disaster.

The emergency is not yet over and for many victims, will last for some months to come. Stagnant water and damaged sanitation systems have greatly heightened incidents of water borne diseases and the threat of epidemics of dengue fever, cholera and malaria. Many whose homes have been destroyed will need to continue to live in shelters. Those whose source of livelihood has been taken away will be dependant on food aid, some for an estimated six months or longer.

Unforeseen problems have arisen in reaching the victims: In Nicaragua, the President told me of reports of old mines dating from the civil war having been washed up and putting in peril efforts to reestablish communications. With the French contingent of engineers deployed to Nicaragua and the Mine Action Center in DPKO we are now trying to evaluate the scope of this threat and determine how the affected area can be made safe.

The major constraint in emergency response in Honduras and Nicaragua was said to be transport capacity, in particular a lack of heavy lift helicopters. In Nicaragua last week, some 20 helicopters were operational. Double this number was said to be required. This is a recurrent problem in a number of major natural disasters we have faced. My office in Geneva will be looking in to the feasibility of having standby arrangements with Governments or private contractors to allow for the immediate deployment of helicopter lift capacity in disaster prone areas.

A further constraint was the varying national capacities in early warning, disaster prevention and response. The 9 November Presidential Summit and a Government of Honduras/World Bank report have both recommended strengthening national and regional capacities in this regard. We have agreed with Mr. Speth that this is a priority area for a joint OCHA/UNDP effort.

The principal actors in all four countries in the relief effort are national institutions including the armed forces supported by bi-lateral donors. I would like here to pay tribute to Mexico and the United States, who deployed helicopters and other military and civil defense assets to Nicaragua and Honduras and who have played a leading role in bringing relief to cut off villages. The United Kingdom and the Netherlands, who deployed naval vessels, helicopters and forces to the area, were praised for their efforts on behalf of victims in the remote area on the border between Nicaragua and Honduras. A host of other bi-lateral and NGO donors have generously provided cash, relief items and personnel. A partial list of such donors includes among others Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Colombia and Panama, the latter also providing helicopters. The EU has also been very active. Emma Bonino is currently travelling to the area.

The response to hurricane Mitch has been an outstanding example of international solidarity.

United Nations agencies have also played an important role, foremost the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (PAHO) and UNDP. Inter-agency cooperation appeared to work well in all four countries.

During my visit, Government ministers all insisted on the need to begin immediately with rehabilitation efforts. The urgency of such efforts is due to a number of factors: The six-month dry season, best suited for reconstruction, has just begun. Immediate reconstruction efforts will provide labour, which in turn will diminish the pressure for large-scale migration north or the threat of dependency on international food aid.

There was a broad recognition of the need in the reconstruction effort to address the errors and omissions of the past. The manner in which the current devastation was seen as an opportunity to bring about a change for the better was impressive. Both the President of Honduras and the Vice-President of Nicaragua made the point that the aim was not to reconstruct what had been before, but to use the opportunity for a new beginning, on the basis of new policies.

Central America is a disaster prone area where climatic anomalies are frequent. It is essential that reconstruction efforts focus not only on rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure, but include projects aimed at reducing the vulnerability of the poorest segments of the population and addressing environmental factors which aggravate the effects of any disaster.

Three areas are recognized by the Governments and UN teams as crucial in this regard: the safe location of new settlements for the displaced, integrated watershed management and environmental protection, including reforestation and other soil conservation measures. The United Nations could play an important role in developing people oriented projects in these areas. Watershed management projects will also require a regional focus.

To address immediate rehabilitation needs as well as ongoing emergency requirements, and following consultations with donors in Geneva, a UN inter-agency appeal will be issued before the end of the month. The appeal is intended to cover needs of the next six months and assist in ensuring adequate aid in the transitional period prior to larger scale rehabilitation efforts getting underway.

I should mention that a recurrent theme throughout my visit was the need for debt relief. I made the point that this did not fall directly within United Nations competence. The World Bank Representative will make few remarks on this.

A few remarks on coordination: In meetings with donor representatives there was some criticism of inadequate coordination between bilateral donors. It was however, not entirely clear to me how active large donors would wish for the UN to be in assisting in coordination of their contributions at the national level. The effectiveness of continued emergency efforts and rehabilitation projects will depend however, in a large part on good coordination to ensure that priorities are identified and met and that there is no duplication nor are there gaps in the international response. The series of meetings being planned at an international level to ensure a coordinated approach need to be paralleled by improved coordination and information sharing at national level under Government leadership, between bi-lateral donors, international institutions and NGOs. The UN at a national level through the Resident Coordinator system is ready to assist as required in this regard.

Tomorrow I will be co-chairing a meeting with Mr. Speth bringing together UN agencies, NGO consortia and the international financial institutions to help coordinate action for responding to immediate rehabilitation priorities and to prepare for the Consultative Group Meeting for Reconstruction of the Central American Countries convoked during the week of 7 December by the Inter American Development Bank.

The series of international initiatives for the victims of Mitch, the generous donations by many Governments and Non-Governmental institutions tend to overshadow one crucial fact. The greater part of immediate relief and shelter provided to those who lost their homes or their source of livelihood, was provided by their compatriots. The peoples and Governments of Honduras, of Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador have been nothing short of heroic in standing up to the disaster and in helping their less fortunate fellow citizens. Their action, their solidarity, their hope and faith in the face of an unprecedented disaster is a tribute to the human spirit. They deserve our admiration, our praise and all our support.

Thank you