Donors meeting: Opening speech by Mr. Ross Mountain

DONORS MEETING ON THE INDONESIAN FIRES
Mr. Töpfer,
Dr. Surna,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to address this meeting today on behalf of Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

The problem caused by exceptionally large-scale forest fires in South East Asia has indeed global dimensions, as the disaster,which had its first peak in September to December last year, has brought significant damage to the environment and had substantial long-term effects on the social, economic and health sectors. The precise nature and extent of its impact is still the subject of a number of studies currently undertaken. The adverse economic impact on the region, including health care costs, loss to the tourism sector and airline industry was estimated at US $1.6 billion. The humanitarian consequences have been significant as millions of people in several countries in South-East Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia, were affected by heavy air pollution during last year's crisis.

Normally the northeast monsoon, which starts in mid-October, would have lessened the effects of the pollution (known as haze) on some countries because the winds would shift, and the rains would have put out the fires. However, in 1997 the El Nino effect delayed the onset of the monsoon, and the forest fires and the air pollution, persisted for several months.

January 1998 saw the end of the wet monsoon season for most of the country, the reoccurrence of drought impacts, and the renewed spread of forest, land and bush fires, mostly in East Kalimantan and Sumatra. The large-scale forest fires are reportedly due to land clearing operations, either for plantations or agricultural land. Because of unusually dry weather conditions caused by the El Nino phenomenon, the fires are spreading into other areas, including dried-out peat swamps. As of now, indications are that more than 200,000 hectares of land have been burnt in East Kalimantan this year. The challenge will be to avoid that the forest fires will spread further and will cause the same devastating impact on the region as they did last year.

The Government of Indonesia has taken steps to cope with the disaster. National efforts are coordinated by the National Disaster Management Coordinating Board (BAKORNAS). The Environmental Impact Management Agency (BAPEDAL) and the Ministry of Forestry are taking the lead in their respective area of competence. Immediately after detecting the reoccurrence of hot spots activity in mid-January 1998, BAPEDAL mobilized an investigation team to assess the situation. BAPEDAL also reactivated its crisis centre (POSKO) in Jakarta and efforts have been underway to establish crisis centres at the provincial and district level. Fire-fighting contingents with personnel from logging companies, Ministry of Forestry, the Army and local communties have been mobilized for operations in East Kalimantan. New efforts are being implemented to impose sanctions on those who started the fires. However, the current economic crisis in Indonesia is severely reducing local capacities to maintain existing and implementing new fire-fighting operations. The Government of Indonesia has therefore confirmed that it would welcome international assistance, especially in the field of fire fighting.

Significant regional efforts to control the fire situation and prevent the reoccurrence of the widespread haze are also being undertaken, in particular in the context of ASEAN. The ASEAN Environment Ministers have agreed to set up a central fund and mobilize both regional and international resources to contain the raging forest fires in Indonesia.

The international community has, in fact, provided considerable assistance since September 1997 in order to support the efforts of the Government of Indonesia and the countries of the region. The OCHA Disaster Response Branch, and the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit, dispatched a first United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) to Indonesia during the period September to December 1997. The Team supported the UN Resident Coordinator in ensuring close links between national and international relief coordination efforts, and in assessing needs for international assistance. The provision of standard packages of ground fire fighting equipment as an immediate emergency support to the ongoing fire-fighting efforts in the affected provinces was considered as the highest priority. UNDAC developed the concept and the composition of standard packages, which was universally endorsed. Thanks to a generous response from a number of donors, including Canada, Finland, France, Norway and Sweden, the identified needs for provision fire fighting packages and related training were covered.

A Joint Technical Coordination Group on Fire Fighting was also established by UNDAC in Jakarta, which brought together, inter alia, Governmental bodies (such as BAKORNAS, Ministry of Forestry), UNDP, the European Union and representatives of the donor community (Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Finland, Russia, and the United States). This Group provided a forum for exchange of relevant information, and helped to avoid duplication of efforts.

As a result of joint efforts to mobilize international assistance in 1997, many countries provided different types of assistance, both in cash and in kind, to Indonesia (totalling some 14 million US dollars). This included assistance from Malaysia with two large contingents of firefighters, and from Australia and the United States with aerial support to ground fire-fighting. Relevant expertise, as well as fire-fighting equipment and training were provided by Canada, Japan, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Thailand, to name just a few.

A number of UN agencies and other organizations have been involved in assisting Indonesia, in particular, UNDP, UNEP, WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ICRC, OPEC, and ASEAN. Funds channelled through OCHA by Norway, UK, US/OFDA, New Zealand and OPEC for emergency aid were spent for medical supplies for the population suffering from the effects of the haze and basic fire fighting equipment. Programmes to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected population were implemented by using local capacity, in particular the Indonesian Red Cross, most are still actually involved.

On 6 March 1998, the Secretary-General asked the new Executive Director of UNEP, Mr. Klaus Töpfer, to coordinate the United Nations system's response to the fires in the region. This nomination gives an important impetus to the already existing close association between OCHA and UNEP which has been formalized in 1994 through the establishment of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit. The practical cooperation of OCHA and UNEP enables both organizations to reach the international environmental community, as well as the world disaster management community, military and civil defence assets, and other relevant networks. OCHA and UNEP will continue to work together to take the lead in facilitating the cooperation of all UN partners involved, taking advantage of the technical expertise and competence of UNEP and the emergency response system established by OCHA.

Following the renewed outbreak of fires in 1998 and a request from the UN Resident Coordinator in Jakarta, a new UNDAC Team was deployed by OCHA to Indonesia, tasked with an assessment of the impact of fires in situ, and the evaluation of needs for complementary international assistance. UNEP took part in this UNDAC mission.

Based on the findings of its mission, the UNDAC Team prepared a report with a series of recommendations regarding possible international assistance in the immediate, medium and long term. Yesterday and this morning, a technical meeting of a group of fire-fighting experts took place here in Geneva which also arrived at conclusions regarding short and long-term measures to be recommended to the Government of Indonesia and for possible donor involvement. These recommendations which will be brought to your attention during this meeting.

We should, however, be realistic in our expectations. Unless the El Nino effect weakens and brings sufficient rainfall to the region, there is no hope that the fires in East Kalimantan can be extinguished in the months to come. It is rather a question of supporting the Government of Indonesia to develop a strategy to contain the fires, to protect the population against the adverse effects and to protect its biodiversity and resources. OCHA is ready to provide its services to the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator to support the Government of Indonesia and the international community for the initial response, in accordance with our mandate, but it is of paramount importance to link emergency measures with a longer-term strategy and to agree, in consultation with the Indonesian authorities, on an effective programme of action and coordination mechanisms in the medium and longer term. Appropriate preventive measures should also be undertaken at the national level as priority. Other important long-term measures include preparedness for combatting future fires, early warning capacities at both international and national levels and appropriate emergency notification procedures.

The UNDAC team and the fire-fighting experts will report in more detail on these recommendations and I am confident that significant steps towards agreeing on immediate and long-term action by the international community can be made at this meeting.

Thank you very much for your attention.