Links

United Nations Development Programme: Tsunami Recovery

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The United Nations Development Programme continues to assist with reconstruction work after the tsunami that devastated a substantial portion of South and South East Asia at the end of December 2004. This website provides information about endeavours being carried out throughout the areas by the UNDP. This includes the latest news reports and updates by country (such as Somalia, Sri Lanka, and India) and regional overviews of affected areas. The site also contains a link to the full coverage area offered by the Crisis Prevention & Recovery unit, which contains recent assessment reports by country.

http://www.undp.org/bcpr/disred/tsunami/

(Added: Mon May 09 2005   Hits: 100)

Aceh/Nias reconstruction

This is a website which contains updates and background information supporting AC's reports published in magazines on, for example, the Aceh/Nias reconstruction.

http://www.acknowledge.com.au

(Added: Sun Apr 09 2006   Modified: Mon Apr 10 2006   Hits: 71)

After the Tsunami: UNEP's Rapid Environmental Assessment Report (PDF)

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 2005. The destruction caused by the Asian tsunami to the environment offers an opportunity to rebuild in a manner that preserves natural resources for the benefit of the local communities who were hardest hit by the disaster. Vulnerability mapping is urgently needed to pin point coastal sites where homes, hotels, factories and other infrastructure should be banned or restricted. Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director, said: "The report underlines the importance of managing the reconstruction in an environmentally sensitive way. Buildings and other infrastructure need to be built in less vulnerable areas and to standards that will protect them and their inhabitants in the event of future tsunamis. This makes sense not only in respect to tsunamis but also with respect to storms surges, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events." The report covers topics such as Waste, Water Supplies, Sanitation and Soil Fertility, Corals Reefs, Mangroves, and Wildlife, Beach erosion and Coastal Vegetation.

http://www.unep.org/tsunami/reports/TSUNAMI_report_complete.pdf

(Added: Wed Feb 23 2005   Modified: Fri Mar 11 2005   Hits: 120)

Destroy and profit: wars, disasters and corporations (pdf)

This 121 page publication addresses some of the key issues and challenges that accompany post war and post disaster reconstruction programmes. The collection of articles in this publication range from analysing the economic and political restructuring of occupied Iraq, the links between war and disaster profiteering in Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami, Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti, and investment agreements in Central Asia, and show some of the common elements among post war and disaster reconstruction programmes. The publication highlights that periods following wars, conflicts and disasters offer an opportunity for national and foreign governments, and multilateral agencies to establish new rules and policies for the provision of goods and services, infrastructure development and investment, and to reshape the geographical, economic and political map of a post-conflict country. It also demonstrates how in many cases foreign governments and companies benefit from reconstruction efforts, rather than local and national populations. (Walden Bello et al, Focus on the Global South, January 2006)

http://www.focusweb.org/pdf/Reconstruction-Dossier.pdf

(Added: Tue Jul 11 2006   Modified: Fri Sep 01 2006   Hits: 241)

Fishing profits, farming disaster: the cost of liberalising Asia's fisheries

The tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean in December 2004 devastated coastal communities in 13 countries. The damage to lives, properties and livelihoods was staggering. Among the badly hit were Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka - countries where the liberalisation of the fishing sector has contributed to the intensification of more destructive and exploitative commercial fishing. Clearing natural coastal defences for industrial aquaculture production is a growing trend in these parts of Asia. Along with increased vulnerability of coastal and surrounding rural comunities, marine biodiversity is in serious decline, and there is an escalating dispossession of the small-scale and artisanal fishing sector. (GRAIN, July 2006)

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=431

(Added: Fri Aug 25 2006   Hits: 196)

Jakarta-based news service and knowledge base about Aceh and Nias reconstruction

Indonesia-Relief.Org is established in early March 2005 to expand our works in providing news and report on Indonesia tsunami disaster relief, and in accordance with transition from relief to rehabilitation and reconstruction phase of Aceh and North Sumatra.

http://indonesia-relief.org

(Added: Wed Aug 03 2005   Modified: Wed Jun 28 2006   Hits: 62)

Joint Evaluation of the International Response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami: Synthesis Report [pdf]

Our efforts to respond to the tsunami have placed in sharp relief both strengths and weaknesses in the way we organize ourselves when faced with such massive challenges. This report includes both praise and uncomfortable reading, it identifies important lessons and an agenda for reform that deserve careful analysis and an appropriate response (Tsunami Evaluation Coalition, July 2006)

http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/2006/tec-tsunami-14jul.pdf

(Added: Mon Jul 17 2006   Modified: Tue Sep 19 2006   Hits: 149)

Learning the Lessons of the Tsunami - One Month On (PDF)

Oxfam, 25th January 2005. One month after the tsunami struck on 26 December it is still a crisis for millions of people. As well as the tragic toll in life, homes and livelihoods have also been lost. More than a million survivors remain displaced. The following few pages set out Oxfam's own response, which started on 26 December, in the context of these continuing needs. It covers our work in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives and Somalia. It ends with an update on how the international community has - and has not yet - responded with sufficient aid, debt relief and trade reforms, and how Oxfam has tried to contribute to that debate.

http://www.oxfam.org.nz/resources/learning%20the%20lesson%20after%20tsunami%20-%20one%20month%20on.pdf

(Added: Thu Jan 27 2005   Modified: Fri Mar 11 2005   Hits: 186)

Links between relief, rehabilitation and development in the tsunami response [pdf]

This report from the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition summarises and discusses experiences from the linkages in the tsunami disaster response between immediate relief operations and subsequent efforts in reconstruction and development (Tsunami Evaluation Coalition, July 2006) .

http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/jahia/Jahia/pid/6809

(Added: Mon May 12 2008   Hits: 19)

One Year On

One Year On is a collaborative initiative by the local aid and development community to profile New Zealand funded response to the Asian tsunami disaster. Over 40 agencies and community groups are involved - ranging from NZAID, the Government's international aid and development agency which is managing New Zealand's $68 million official aid-package to the region, to community groups who raised thousands of dollars through concerts, collections and sausage sizzles.

http://1yearon.blogspot.com/

(Added: Mon Nov 28 2005   Modified: Wed Feb 14 2007   Hits: 209)

One Year On Blog

One Year On is a collaborative initiative by the local aid and development community to profile New Zealand funded response to the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami disaster. As part of One Year On, a group of New Zealand journalists and photographers is visiting key New Zealand-funded projects in Indonesia and Sri Lanka to see how our Kiwi generosity is making a difference to those affected by the tsunami. The media trip will take place from Wednesday 30 November to Tuesday 12 December, 2005. The purpose of this Blog is to provide information and images from the media trip, highlighting the stories of New Zealanders involved in the massive-scale recovery and reconstruction effort.

http://1yearon.blogspot.com

(Added: Thu Dec 01 2005   Modified: Fri Dec 02 2005   Hits: 105)

Peace and reconstruction in Aceh

In Aceh, the Indonesian province that took the brunt of the December tsusnami waves' destructive power, two closely related issues demand close scrutiny. One is reconstruction in the tsunami's wake. The other is implementation of the August 2005 "memorandum of understanding" (MOU). This peace deal ended a brutal 29-year conflict between the central government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). This article looks at the issues, their connections and their progress. (Michael Renner, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2006)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0501/p09s02-coop.html

(Added: Wed May 03 2006   Hits: 100)

Regional Workshop on Lessons Learned and Best Practices in the Response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami

UN Report and Summary of Main Conclusions, Medan, Indonesia 13-14 June 2005. A regional tsunami lessons learned and best practices workshop was held in Medan, Indonesia, on 13-14 June 2005. It brought together 75 government, UN and NGO participants from Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, in addition to representatives of regional organizations and donors. The aim of the regional workshop was to share reflections and experiences related to the national and international response to the December 2004 tsunami disaster, and to formulate recommendations to concerned actors that would help improve disaster preparedness and response capacity at the national and regional level.

http://www.dev-zone.org/downloads/UNLessonsTsunami.doc

(Added: Thu Jul 14 2005   Hits: 84)

South Asia Tsunami Disaster - Practical Answers

ITDG. It is now over a month since the earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered the tsunamis and left huge devastation across south Asia. While the aid effort has managed to provide immediate relief, the plans for reconstruction are now to be actively addressed. This webpage provides a number of guidelines and practical online resources for re-building the livelihoods of communities affected by the tsunami.

http://www.itdg.org/?id=south_asia_tsunami

(Added: Mon Feb 21 2005   Modified: Fri Mar 11 2005   Hits: 192)

SRI LANKA: Post-tsunami recovery a success for most but not all

Sri Lanka poured millions of dollars in foreign aid into tsunami relief since December 2004, but this report argues that three years later, some survivors still languish in welfare shelters while others live in new settlements lacking basic facilities.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75981

(Added: Thu Jan 03 2008   Hits: 30)

The Challenge after the Tsunami: Getting the Children back to School in Sri Lanka

Asian Human Rights Commission, January 05, 2005. In recent days, the work carried out by UNICEF in Sri Lanka to draw attention to the plight of children affected by the tsunami is most laudable and is an example that must be taken up by others if children are to survive this terrible disaster. With children constituting over 40% of the dead in Sri Lanka, those children who have survived, must surely take priority. It is up to Sri Lankan government and world aid agencies to protect the vulnerable young so that their lives may hold some hope, despite the tragedy they have experienced.

http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2005statements/248

(Added: Fri Jan 07 2005   Modified: Fri Mar 11 2005   Hits: 111)

The Indian Ocean Tsunami: Economic Impact, Disaster Management and Lessons (PDF)

By Prema-Chandra Athukorala & Budy P.Resosudarmo. Division of Economics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, 2005. he purpose of this document is to record and analyze the immediate economic impact of the Indian Ocean tsunami created by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004. There is focus on the two worst affected countries - - Indonesia (Aceh province) and Sri Lanka -and the disaster management process after the disaster. The Boxing Day Tsunami is unique among large disasters in recorded human history because of the large number of causalities and displacement of people. The massive international donor response and the logistic challenges faced by international organizations and aid agencies in organizing and coordinating relief efforts was also unique. The preliminary findings illustrate the importance of public education about simple precautions in the event of a disaster and enforcement of coastal environmental regulations as disaster prevention policies.

http://rspas.anu.edu.au/economics/publish/papers/wp2005/wp-econ-2005-05.pdf

(Added: Wed Jul 27 2005   Hits: 74)

Tsunami Aid or Debt Cancellation! The Political Economy of Post Tsunami Reconstruction

by Damien Millet & Eric Toussaint. December 26, 2004, the day after Christmas, darkness dawned on the countries of the Indian Ocean regions. An earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale resulted in a tsunami tidal wave that devastated coastal areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, the Seychelles and India. There have been unbearable scenes of death and destruction and despair among the survivors. Poverty breeds vulnerability, thus aggravating the consequences of the natural disaster like tsunami further increasing the levels of deprivation. The beaming of this disaster awakened the collective consciousness of people across the globe and generated waves of generosity among the viewers. There was overwhelming response to the immediate needs of the victims but their long term development needs continues to be a major challenge because the multiple impacts of the tsunami have further intensified the burden of economic crisis on the poor. The studies presented in this book by Damien Millet, Eric Toussaint and Francois Houtart analyses the link between the post tsunami reconstruction and the cancellation of the multi and bilateral aid of the tsunami affected countries. They have argued that even before the tsunami ravaged the coast lines, the coastal poor were suffering from the powerful neo-liberal wave. The servicing of the debt which accounts for the colossal amount is a major obstacle to the development of these countries.

http://www.vakindia.org/book2.html

(Added: Mon Nov 28 2005   Hits: 193)

Tsunami must be preventive wake-up call, like Titanic a century ago - UN agency

UN News Service, 23 February 2005. December's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami is as urgent a wake-up call for the world to get its already existing emergency communications systems in working order as the sinking of the Titanic was for instituting mandatory SOS monitoring a century ago, according to the United Nations telecommunications agency.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=13425&Cr=tsunami&Cr1=

(Added: Thu Feb 24 2005   Modified: Fri Mar 11 2005   Hits: 103)

Tsunami Spotlights Long-Term Development Needs

(Scoop) Wednesday, 19 January 2005, 9:22 . Press Release: United Nations. "Each year, half a million women die giving birth - that is the death toll from one Asian tsunami every four months. Every year, three million people die of AIDS. That is one tsunami every three weeks. Every year, 11 million children die of hunger and poverty-related and preventable disease. That is one tsunami every 5 days," said Joana Merlin-Scholtes, the Resident Representative for United Nations Development Programme in Thailand , today at the Asia launch of The UN Millennium Project report, Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0501/S00184.htm

(Added: Wed Jan 26 2005   Modified: Fri Aug 05 2005   Hits: 195)

Tsunami: Build Back Better; Mantra Aside, An Aid Gone Wrong Story? [pdf]

This independent Livelihood Sectoral Review by the Development Consultancy Group (DPG), Bangalore, of the Tsunami Response in Nagapattinam, India, appears a scathing indictment of the whole relief community. Livelihood in this report has been analyzed in 3 parts - Fishery, Agriculture, and Non-Farm sectors. Argues the study, the Mantra - Build Back Better remains an empty catchphrase. In many instances, the relief community could be in fact accused of a collective mess up, particularly, of the fishery sector. The relief community, far from being people driven, appears media driven and publicity hungry. (Rajan Alexander, Development Promotion Group, March 2006)

http://www.trinet.in/downloads/BuildBackBetterFinal1.pdf

(Added: Sat Mar 25 2006   Modified: Wed Jun 28 2006   Hits: 107)