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source: Jakarta Post,  Jan 8, 2005

"Jakarta tsunami aid summit's declaration

JAKARTA (JP): The special ASEAN leaders' meeting held in Jakarta on Thursday issued a declaration on action to strengthen emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention on the aftermath of eathquake and tsunami disaster.

The full text of the declaration is as follows:

We, the Heads of State/Government, Special Envoys and Heads of regional as well as international organisations, who gathered on 6 January 2005 in Jakarta, Indonesia, expressed solemnly our profound sorrow and our solidarity to overcome the unprecedented catastrophe befalling the Indian Ocean rim countries on 26 December 2004.

This unprecedented devastation needs unprecedented global response in assisting the national governments to cope with such disaster. This would entail efforts in emergency relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction that may take five to ten years, with resources that cannot be borne by any individual country.

We deeply appreciate the generous contribution and assistance offered by many countries and the overwhelming expressions of support and assistance from governments, non-governmental organisations and citizens of the world at large.

We applaud the leading role of the affected countries in addressing this disaster, and we recognise the role of the United Nations in assisting the affected countries' coordination of international assistance at the emergency relief phase.

We underlined the need to coordinate better and ensure that those contributions would be effective and sustainable, to truly address the suffering of the victims and to prevent such calamity from recurring.

We expressed our continuing commitment to assist the affected countries and their peoples in order to fully recover from the catastrophic and traumatic effects of the disaster, including in their mid and long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

To these ends, we agreed to:

1. Emergency Relief

a. Urgently mobilise further additional resources to meet the emergency relief needs of victims in the affected countries.

b. Request the United Nations to mobilise the international community to support the national relief emergency programmes in the affected countries, and, welcomed in this regard, the Flash Appeal by the United Nations. In this connection, further request the United Nations to appoint a Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the above purpose; to convene an international pledging conference for the sustainability of humanitarian relief efforts; and to explore the establishment of “standby arrangement” at the global level for immediate humanitarian relief efforts.

c. Strengthen coordination and cooperation of the national, regional and international relief efforts, to ensure effective and immediate distribution of the assistance.

d. Support the efforts of the affected countries, as national coordinators, to ensure an effective channeling and utilisation of assistance as offered by donor countries, international organisations and non-governmental relief organisations.

2. Rehabilitation and reconstruction

a. Support and emphasize the importance of national rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes given the devastation of the basic infrastructures and services in the affected countries. The reconstruction and rehabilitation phase should link seamlessly with the humanitarian relief efforts.

b. Call on the international community, in particular the donor countries, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and related international financial institutions to provide the necessary fund for the viability and sustainability of those programmes.

c. Establish a partnership, upon the request and the leadership of the country concerned, involving donor countries and regional as well as international financial institutions, to support the respective national programmes of the affected countries.

d. Welcome the initiative of several countries on the moratorium of payments of the external debt of the affected countries to augment their national capacity to carry out the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

e. Promote and encourage private sector participation in and contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

3) Prevention and Mitigation

a. Support ASEAN's decision to establish regional mechanisms on disaster prevention and mitigation, inter alia:

i. The utilisation of military and civilian personnel in disaster relief operation and an ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre, as provided for in the ASEAN Security Community Plan of Action;

ii. ASEAN Disaster Information Sharing and Communication Network, as provided for in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community component of the Vientiane Action Programme;

iii. A regional instrument on disaster management and emergency response.

b. Establish a regional early warning system such as Regional Tsunami Early Warning Center on the Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asia region.

c. Promote public education and awareness as well as community participation in disaster prevention and mitigation through inter alia a community based disaster preparedness and early response.

d. Develop and promote national and regional human and institutional capacity, transfer of know-how, technology, and scientific knowledge in building and managing a regional early warning system and disaster management through international cooperation and partnership.

We believe that through concerted efforts, spurred by spirit of compassion and sacrifice and endurance, together, we will prevail in overcoming this catastrophe. (**)"