Frequently Asked Questions on Indian Ocean tsunami aid effort
How much? | UK and DFID support | EC support | Effect on other programmes | Preventing or alleviating future disasters | Cancelling debt?
Image courtesy of United Nations Development Programme
1. How much has the UK contributed to the immediate humanitarian relief effort and now the longer term reconstruction?
The UK Government has committed £75 million directly to humanitarian relief.
£65 million of this has been earmarked for work to be done through United Nations agencies,
the Red Cross Movement, non-government organisations and work done directly by
DFID. Another £7.5 million has been earmarked to support activities designed to
reduce the risk of disasters in the affected countries.
DFID has committed £65 million to the longer-term reconstruction and
rehabilitation of the region devastated by the tsunami, of which £59.2 million
will go to Indonesia.
We will follow the leadership of the governments concerned in order to make sure that our contribution is part of a properly co-ordinated and effective reconstruction plan and that it meets the needs of the affected governments and those who need help most.
- More information about specific activities funded by DFID
- General information about tsunami funding and evaluation
The UK Government has allocated the equivalent of around £290 million to disaster relief and reconstruction in the Tsunami affected countries.
It has been estimated that the British public has already contributed £420m
towards the Tsunami relief effort.
The exceptionally generous response following the Asian Tsunami has meant that
the initial humanitarian relief effort in all the affected countries has been
successful, and major
outbreaks of disease have been prevented.
Long-term reconstruction is now under way. But
there are still many challenges and it is going to take a long time for Aceh and
many other affected areas to fully recover.
2. What is the EC doing?
The EU (European Community and Member States) has pledged over €2 billion in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.
Around 80% of the €566 million humanitarian funds have already been disbursed and 40% of the €1.5 billion in reconstruction grants have been committed. EC funding comprises €123 million in humanitarian assistance and €350 million for longer-term reconstruction. In addition, the European Investment Bank is finalising a number of loans to the affected countries.
More
on the EC tsunami response
3. What effect is aid to the tsunami region having on our other development programmes?
Very little. The £75 million that has been committed for initial humanitarian relief work was funded from DFID humanitarian contingency funds (£20m), departmental contingency funds (£30m), and HMT's Reserve (£25m). It has not been taken from existing programmes.
We will also be allocating reconstruction funding from our contingency funds, and from the re-organisation of some of our programmes. However, no development programmes will lose any funding as a result of this.
4. What is DFID doing to ensure that future natural disasters don't have such a devastating impact?
DFID takes a proactive stance on preventing or alleviating future disasters: natural disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami can have a substantial impact on poverty levels as well as huge costs in terms of human life. This is why the Secretary of State announced last year that, where practical, the UK will allocate up to 10% of each natural disaster response to mitigate the impact of future disasters.
This will ensure that people living in disaster prone regions can better
prepare for natural disasters, for example ensuring homes and buildings are
built more robustly; knowing what to do in the event of a natural disaster; and
puting contingency plans in place.
We are supporting the set up of simple but effective warning systems so that the
risk of being hit by natural disasters without warning is much reduced. DFID is
tracking developments of the International Oceanographic Commission’s plan for
an Early Warning System in the Indian Ocean and will consider contributing
towards its implementation when funding requirements are clarified.
5. Shouldn’t we help by cancelling the debt of tsunami-affected
countries?
Debt relief over 2005 has freed
up considerable resources to finance post-tsunami reconstruction and
rehabilitation. The Paris Club group of government creditors agreed to give up
debt service payments from Indonesia and Sri Lanka in 2005. This has freed up
$2.7 billion for Indonesia and about $0.2 billion for Sri Lanka in 2005.
In addition, the UK is paying its share (10%) of Sri Lanka's debt service to the
concessional fund of the World Bank. This is worth about $5.7 million in 2005,
and a total of about $80 million from 2005 to 2015 to the country, money that
will now be spent on poverty reduction.
