PHA-Exchange> PHM Statement on Tsunami

Tue Feb 1 02:46:03 PST 2005

At the year-end, on 26th December 2004, an earthquake, off the Sumatra coast in 
Indonesia (measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale) unleashed Tsunami waves that 
caused one of the biggest human tragedies in recent history in Southern Asia 
and in few parts of Africa. By 20th January 2005, the estimated toll of death 
was well past 228,000 

A massive national and international response to this human disaster and its 
humanitarian challenges is underway after communities, nations and the 
international community recovered from the shock of the sheer immensity of the 
devastation. 

The PHM Global Secretariat has been receiving messages of concern and 
solidarity from all over the world and offers of support. The PHM members in 
the affected countries supported by local efforts and International solidarity 
have been actively involved in responding to the disaster. 

While encouraging all PHM members to respond in solidarity, and to work at all 
levels with people's organizations, local governments and state and 
international aid efforts, the PHM would also like to raise a few important 
issues and concerns, which might be kept in mind as we respond to this 
disaster.   

?     All relief and rehabilitation efforts must be done in close collaboration 
and partnership with affected communities keeping their needs, ideas, and 
aspirations in mind.

?     Relief and rehabilitation efforts must not become sub-servient to the 
political agendas of the state and national governments, nor to the pressures 
and priorities of aid giving agencies, either from developed countries or 
International funding agencies.

?     The aid efforts - both relief and rehabilitation, must be sensitive to 
the social, economic, cultural situation of the affected communities and their 
human rights.

?     The aid efforts must be gender sensitive and take into consideration the 
requirements of people with special needs including non-fisher folk, people 
with disabilities, and socially neglected groups like widows, elderly people 
and orphans.

?     The programmes have to be holistic, responding to the basic needs, psycho-
social, medical, livelihoods, and community organization and capacity building 
aspects of the challenge, and not be over medicalized or techno-centric or sub-
servient to external agendas of any kind.

?     The greatest challenge is to collaborate with communities, local civil 
society organizations and governments, to rebuild lives and livelihoods of 
people, strengthening their access to comprehensive and responsive Primary 
Health Care, education, social services and economic / livelihood support.

?     Long-term rehabilitation has to be done, empowering affected communities 
as active participants and not passive beneficiaries. Care must also be taken 
to ensure that all those who were marginalized by the societal processes before 
the disaster, are not further marginalized by it. They must be organized and 
supported to ensure equity in relief and rehabilitation. The long term efforts 
must also focus on disaster preparedness in the coastal villages and measures 
to the potential recurrent disaster.

?     All relief and rehabilitation work and processes should adhere to 
internationally agreed codes of conduct as far as possible to ensure equity and 
dignity to the affected people. Government and other agencies must be supported 
to attain those standards.

?     Aid is also being subjected to a series of external factors, which 
include donor agendas, media exploitation, global security policies, market 
economy and commodification. As we all respond to the current disaster, it is 
also time to scrutinize all these practices and the ongoing structural 
determinants of aid. 

While gearing up collectively in the new year to respond to the Asian tsunami 
disaster, let us also continue to build a strong solidarity against the 
ongoing 'tsunamis' of war and occupation; corporate led globalization; the 
unjust WTO and international agreements like TRIPS, GATS; and unsustainable 
development. This year needs our collective response in solidarity with all 
those who are facing these challenges.

PHM Secretariat                                                                
January 21, 2005

secretariat at phmovement.org 

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