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)