ReliefWeb - Myanmar: Senior UN official stresses the importance of the right architecture as post-Nargis recovery moves to the next phase

ReliefWeb - Myanmar: Senior UN official stresses the importance of the right architecture as post-Nargis recovery moves to the next phase
Source: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Date: 09 Feb 2009

Bangkok (ESCAP Information Services) – As the efforts to rebuild the communities in Myanmar affected by Cyclone Nargis move from emergency relief and early recovery stage towards medium-recovery, setting up the right framework is vitally important, the senior most United Nations official in the region says today.

Dr Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), made the remarks in a message delivered at the launch of The Post-Nargis Response and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP), which was held today at ESCAP in Bangkok.

The PONREPP, a three year plan beginning in January 2009, provides a platform for the transition between emergency assistance and short-term recovery to medium-term recovery. It was developed by the Tripartite Core Group (TCG) which consists of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Government of the Union of Myanmar, and the United Nations.

Noting that the process of recovery from Nargis would take several years, Dr. Heyzer said the importance of the right architecture could not be over-emphasized.

"Strong institutions, effective mechanisms and accountable processes are needed to plan and orchestrate the various components of the recovery effort, to facilitate the many activities and programmes, to ensure coordination, communication, and coherence among the wide range of stakeholders, and to manage the smooth transition from one phase to the next," Dr Heyzer said.

"The PONREPP provides us with a framework for the medium- and long-term post-Nargis recovery effort, including the priorities of supporting food security and livelihood recovery, improving public health, restoring economic and social infrastructure, and integrating disaster risk reduction into the recovery process," Dr. Heyzer added. "To ensure that the strategies and plans laid out in the PONREPP translate into real support for the survivors of Cyclone Nargis, the continued engagement of international community is essential."

The launch was attended by representatives of all the partners in the TCG, including Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN; U Kyaw Thu, Chairman of the Civil Service Selection and Training Board, Union of Myanmar & Chair, TCG; and Mr. Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar.

Dr, Heyzer recalled ESCAP's partnership with ASEAN and the Government of Myanmar in recovery planning, with the holding of the Post-Nargis Recovery and Livelihood Opportunities in Myanmar meeting at ESCAP last October. The meeting brought members of the TCG together with experts who had experience dealing with such recent disasters in the region as the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and the 2007 Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh.

The meetings followed visits in May and June of 2008 by Dr. Heyzer to Myanmar, during which Government representatives and the UN Country Team welcomed the idea of ESCAP, as part of the advisory group to the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force and the regional development arm of the United Nations, convening a series of regional expert group meetings and policy dialogues on issues of recovery and reconstruction in post-Nargis Myanmar.