Customs delays and taxation of aid stall urgent relief efforts in Nepal

(New York, 8 July 2015): The Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, John Ging, said that despite all that has been done in past months, urgently needed aid for millions of people affected by the recent earthquakes in Nepal is being delayed from reaching communities due to customs procedures and taxation.

Two major earthquakes in May left over 8,800 people dead and tens of thousands injured. Nearly 600,000 houses have been destroyed and another 285,000 damaged, leaving 2.2 million people homeless.

The window to reach communities in remote areas is shrinking, as the monsoon season makes mountain villages increasingly inaccessible. While the humanitarian response has provided 2.1 million people with food and 250,000 families with shelter, hundreds of thousands of people still require lifesaving aid.

On return from a visit to the earthquake stricken country, Mr. Ging noted that relief efforts have been impressive, with heroic work being done by affected communities, local organizations and the Government, and an outpouring of international solidarity enabling assistance to reach millions of affected people.

“I highly appreciate steps already taken to speed up the import of humanitarian supplies,” Mr. Ging said. “However, backlogs of essential shelter materials continue at Kathmandu Airport and the Indian border due to bureaucratic impediments. This is delaying aid reaching 100,000 families who require urgent shelter assistance as the monsoon season begins.”

“The Government of Nepal has rightly shifted the focus of its efforts from immediate relief to longer term recovery and reconstruction, but this must not come at the expense of families who still require lifesaving assistance.”

The humanitarian appeal to meet urgent needs until the end of September is just 46 per cent funded, with $195 million received to date. OCHA’s Director of Operations thanked donors for their generosity, but appealed for additional funds in what he called “a race against time to save lives.”

For further information, please call:
Michelle Delaney, OCHA NY, delaneym@un.org, Tel + 1 917 367 4568, Cell +1 917226 6308
Leszek Barczak, OCHA Nepal, barczakl@un.org, Tel +977 985 121 4309