UN have Faith in Tackling Tsunami Relief Challenge

The United Nations have released a statement declaring that the world is rising to the great challenge of providing relief to the victims of the tsunami earthquake disaster. More than 1.8 million people are estimated to be in urgent need of aid, with a million in Indonesia alone.

Just one week after the huge tsunami devastated twelve countries across Asia, the UN emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland has declared that he is optimistic that the world can meet the enormous test of providing aid for all in need.

Egeland said that approximately £1 billion from offers of assistance from more than 40 countries is being approached by the amazing generosity from non-governmental organisations and through private donations.

He said, "The international system is working. The hundreds of relief organisations now involved are taking coordination, and they are looking to the United Nations system for overall coordination, and the Red Cross federation for all of the coordination within the Red Cross and Red Crescent system."

It was also reported that the UN had set up in conjunction with the US military, a world-wide command centre in an American air base in Thailand to coordinate what Egeland described as the biggest humanitarian effort ever.

The relief efforts have now entered their second week, and reports have indicated that officials now have a "pretty good" overview of the total needs throughout the regions.

Throughout the next few days relief should be able to make its way through to more than 700,000 victims in Sri Lanka, however, Egeland also stated that the overall estimates for victims had now climbed to more than 1.8million people, with a majority in Indonesia.

Sumatra remains one of the major worries for relief efforts, due to logistical bottlenecks preventing aid from reaching some of the most needy victims.

Edeland said, "The challenge in Indonesia is in a class of its own, still. We are, however, making big progress. Now 50 aid groups are operating in Banda Aceh, which was the epicentre of the catastrophe, together with other communities on the northern Sumatra coast, and in Aceh."

The UN emergency relief coordinator praised the efforts of humanitarian groups, in particular Oxfam and Doctors without Borders, who have launched huge programs to reach out to Banda Aceh with fresh drinking water.

Special mention also went to countries that had provided helicopters and other large resources to air drop aid to the remotest areas where roads and transport routes have been completely wiped out.

He told, "Those helicopters now ferry out relief to isolated villages on the Sumatra coast from the United States and from other partner countries, those helicopters are worth their weight in gold."

The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan will visit the affected regions later this week. Firstly he will stop in Jakarta for a meeting with several world leaders to clarify relief needs. After that Annan will go to both Sumatra and Sri Lanka.

Annan reported, "It will differ from country to country, but my own sense is, you probably have five-to-10 years, and billions-of-dollars, because the devastation is enormous."

A flash appeal is planned to bring in additional aid during the meeting in Jakarta later this week. However, the overall amount expected to be raised is less than the £1 billion that has already been raised.