Typhoon Haiyan
Lessons and livelihoods emerge from disaster in the Philippines
On 16 December, ECOSOC convened a meeting of UN member states, agencies and other relief organizations to discuss the international response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
17 December 2013
NEW YORK - Roughly 5.6 million workers lost their livelihoods following the devastating typhoon that hit the Philippines on 8 November. The storm delivered catastrophic blows to much of the country’s economy, most notably in the service sector, but also in fishing and in agriculture where losses now top USD 1.8 billion.
On 16 December, ECOSOC convened a meeting of UN member states, agencies and other relief organizations to discuss the international response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
An opening statement was delivered on behalf of ECOSOC Under-Secretary-General, Mr Wu Hongbo, who lauded the quick and lifesaving action from the international community and its efforts to help the Philippines recover and rebuild. However, he stressed that there were valuable lessons to be learned from the experience in the coordination of humanitarian assistance.
Ms. Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator at OCHA, also joined the meeting via video-link from Geneva, and said criticism about the speed of the response was valid. “UN staff were on the ground a day after the typhoon struck, but they were unable to leave the airport,” she said. “The turning point only came when military and international operatives were able to work together and enter the affected areas.“ She credited the Philippine government for facilitating the entry of international relief personnel with a simplified visa regime.
H.E. Mr. Jose Rene D. Almendras, Cabinet Secretary in Office of the President of the Philippines, presented several challenges faced in recovery efforts both after Typhoons Bopha and Haiyan, including difficulties in identifying large numbers of victims. “There were more unidentified bodies than missing persons,” he said. “Entire families were wiped out, so there was no one left to report missing.”
In assessing the response, Almendras made a distinction between national and local preparedness. He talked about the government’s failure to educate residents of the magnitude of the anticipated storm surge, which he said was a mistake. He contrasted that with the story of a local leader who threatened to arrest residents who did not evacuate from their costal homes. His community experienced no deaths from the storm.
Finally, among the lessons learned, he said that prior to Haiyan, the government intentionally put relief goods in storm path for ready access. This had worked in the past, but transportation was so disrupted following Haiyan that workers were unable to access even nearby supplies. “In the future,” he said, “alternatives will be explored like placing supplies on ships that can be stored safely and then deployed to affected areas following the storm.”
Ms. Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction also joined the meeting via video-link from Geneva, and talked about the importance of enshrining preparedness into national law. “A national strategy could say these are areas we need to pay more attention to for infrastructure, quality of housing, let alone where houses are being built.” She spoke of an opportunity for shift in policy direction and called upon the recovery effort to help the Philippines put basics in place to increase its resiliency.
Ms. Luiza Carvalho, UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines joined the meting via video-link from Manila. She outlined details of the international Strategic Response Plan (SRP), which is only 30 per cent funded and is set to run through next 12 months. It will continue to provide much need emergency assistance, food security, shelter, restoration of livelihoods and emergency employment. Cash-based interventions will make up about 10% of total SRP programming. Meanwhile, the government’s Yolanda (Haiyan) Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (YRRP) will oversee the transition from relief to early recovery, with a focus on resettlement, infrastructure and social development.
Nicholas Rosellini, Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP talked about the importance of linking the relief work happening immediately following Haiyan and the ongoing development work underway in the Philippines. “Promoting sustainable development and the resilience of communities must remain a top priority,” he said. He also mentioned that UNDP was facilitating an exchange of knowledge in large-scale recovery efforts between Indonesia and the Philippines as part of its broader work in the region.
Mr. Harold Brooks, Senior Vice President of International Operations, American Red Cross spoke of the unconditional cash transfer programme his organization was conducting in addition to in-kind transfers of water, hygiene kits and other essential goods. “[Transfers] help families and local economic recovery, as well,” he said. “The target is to provide USD 50 to 50,000 households in the Panay and Leyte provinces. The registration process has begun and our team anticipates it will impact 20 thousand families before the end of December.”
Ms. Annie Garcia, President of SM Supermalls in the Philippines also spoke to the group via video-link from Manila. She said that the company has been playing an important role in building the country’s resilience. She said the company conducts workshops to educate citizens on emergency procedures and that it will review plans for new housing developments given its expertise in building commercial centers with disaster resilient designs. She also said that the company would like to assist the government to deliver jobs to those whose livelihoods had been affected by the storm.
With ILO support, the Philippine government has already put in place Emergency Employment Programmes to help disaster-stricken families to begin rebuilding their lives, and reviving the economy, through decent jobs. The programmes are under way in Leyte and Samar, two of the worst hit areas. Around 17,000 people have registered and are ready to work, clearing roads, rehabilitating schools, cleaning hospitals and public infrastructure. Three other programmes are about to start, in Northern Cebu, Negros Occidental and Coron (Palawan).
Following the statements, member states were invited to speak in what was a largely positive review of international relief and coordination efforts. Many spoke of the supplies donated and praised the efforts of the OHCA and others present. However, no outright appeal for additional funding was made by the OHCA at the event, and the overwhelming deficit in the SRP funding received only a passing mention. The meeting adjourned before lunch.
On 16 December, ECOSOC convened a meeting of UN member states, agencies and other relief organizations to discuss the international response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
An opening statement was delivered on behalf of ECOSOC Under-Secretary-General, Mr Wu Hongbo, who lauded the quick and lifesaving action from the international community and its efforts to help the Philippines recover and rebuild. However, he stressed that there were valuable lessons to be learned from the experience in the coordination of humanitarian assistance.
Ms. Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator at OCHA, also joined the meeting via video-link from Geneva, and said criticism about the speed of the response was valid. “UN staff were on the ground a day after the typhoon struck, but they were unable to leave the airport,” she said. “The turning point only came when military and international operatives were able to work together and enter the affected areas.“ She credited the Philippine government for facilitating the entry of international relief personnel with a simplified visa regime.
H.E. Mr. Jose Rene D. Almendras, Cabinet Secretary in Office of the President of the Philippines, presented several challenges faced in recovery efforts both after Typhoons Bopha and Haiyan, including difficulties in identifying large numbers of victims. “There were more unidentified bodies than missing persons,” he said. “Entire families were wiped out, so there was no one left to report missing.”
In assessing the response, Almendras made a distinction between national and local preparedness. He talked about the government’s failure to educate residents of the magnitude of the anticipated storm surge, which he said was a mistake. He contrasted that with the story of a local leader who threatened to arrest residents who did not evacuate from their costal homes. His community experienced no deaths from the storm.
Finally, among the lessons learned, he said that prior to Haiyan, the government intentionally put relief goods in storm path for ready access. This had worked in the past, but transportation was so disrupted following Haiyan that workers were unable to access even nearby supplies. “In the future,” he said, “alternatives will be explored like placing supplies on ships that can be stored safely and then deployed to affected areas following the storm.”
Ms. Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction also joined the meeting via video-link from Geneva, and talked about the importance of enshrining preparedness into national law. “A national strategy could say these are areas we need to pay more attention to for infrastructure, quality of housing, let alone where houses are being built.” She spoke of an opportunity for shift in policy direction and called upon the recovery effort to help the Philippines put basics in place to increase its resiliency.
Ms. Luiza Carvalho, UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines joined the meting via video-link from Manila. She outlined details of the international Strategic Response Plan (SRP), which is only 30 per cent funded and is set to run through next 12 months. It will continue to provide much need emergency assistance, food security, shelter, restoration of livelihoods and emergency employment. Cash-based interventions will make up about 10% of total SRP programming. Meanwhile, the government’s Yolanda (Haiyan) Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (YRRP) will oversee the transition from relief to early recovery, with a focus on resettlement, infrastructure and social development.
Nicholas Rosellini, Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP talked about the importance of linking the relief work happening immediately following Haiyan and the ongoing development work underway in the Philippines. “Promoting sustainable development and the resilience of communities must remain a top priority,” he said. He also mentioned that UNDP was facilitating an exchange of knowledge in large-scale recovery efforts between Indonesia and the Philippines as part of its broader work in the region.
Mr. Harold Brooks, Senior Vice President of International Operations, American Red Cross spoke of the unconditional cash transfer programme his organization was conducting in addition to in-kind transfers of water, hygiene kits and other essential goods. “[Transfers] help families and local economic recovery, as well,” he said. “The target is to provide USD 50 to 50,000 households in the Panay and Leyte provinces. The registration process has begun and our team anticipates it will impact 20 thousand families before the end of December.”
Ms. Annie Garcia, President of SM Supermalls in the Philippines also spoke to the group via video-link from Manila. She said that the company has been playing an important role in building the country’s resilience. She said the company conducts workshops to educate citizens on emergency procedures and that it will review plans for new housing developments given its expertise in building commercial centers with disaster resilient designs. She also said that the company would like to assist the government to deliver jobs to those whose livelihoods had been affected by the storm.
With ILO support, the Philippine government has already put in place Emergency Employment Programmes to help disaster-stricken families to begin rebuilding their lives, and reviving the economy, through decent jobs. The programmes are under way in Leyte and Samar, two of the worst hit areas. Around 17,000 people have registered and are ready to work, clearing roads, rehabilitating schools, cleaning hospitals and public infrastructure. Three other programmes are about to start, in Northern Cebu, Negros Occidental and Coron (Palawan).
Following the statements, member states were invited to speak in what was a largely positive review of international relief and coordination efforts. Many spoke of the supplies donated and praised the efforts of the OHCA and others present. However, no outright appeal for additional funding was made by the OHCA at the event, and the overwhelming deficit in the SRP funding received only a passing mention. The meeting adjourned before lunch.