Good Humanitarian Donorship

National and International Response to

Humanitarian Emergencies:
Perspectives from the Philippines

Amb. Evan P. Garcia

Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations
and Other International Organizations
Geneva
Cyclones Ketsana / Parma
(Ondoy / Pepeng)
 Cyclones Ketsana / Parma
(Ondoy / Pepeng)

 Aftermath:
 1000+ Deaths
 9.8 Million Persons Affected
 Losses equivalent to 2.7% of GDP
 Damage and losses of US$ 4.38
Billion
Comparative Damage
 National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)

 Chaired by the Secretary of National Defense.

 Coordinates national disaster management efforts.
 A council of involved government agencies.
 Mobilizes resources of other agencies, does not have
its own organic assets.
 DCCs at all levels of government.
Phil. Govt-International Community Coordination

 Led by the Phil. National

Disaster Coordinating
Council (NDCC) jointly
with UN OCHA.
 Joint On-site Operations
Coordination Center
(OSOCC) established.
 Cluster Approach
 Positive experience, providing a systematic
approach.
 NDCC / Phil. Government agencies were assigned
particular clusters in Dec. 2008
 Need for further orientation and training in cluster
system.
Cluster Approach
Cluster Approach
Coordination of Advocacy Messages
 Global: Close coordination with OCHA Flash
Appeal process in Geneva and New York.
 National: Development and execution of advocacy
messages by cluster leads on specific concerns, in
various media. Messages shared among clusters.
 Challenges in working with donors &
international organizations – need for
 Closer operational coordination between and among
UN agencies, Intl. Orgs & donors.
 Closer coordination between international and
Philippine stakeholders.
 Wider dissemination and observance of IDRL and
other intl disaster management guidelines.
 More efficient harnessing of govt, pvt sector and civil
society resources.
 Evaluating International Response

 OCHA-coordinated Flash Appeal useful and

effective process.
 Red Cross, other IO, regional and bilateral
responses also effective.
 NGO assistance mixed – good support but also
instances of abuse and “disaster tourism”
Immediate Needs Assessment Process
 Needs assessment done immediately by Phil. Govt
(NDCC), major donors and supported by OCHA and
UNDAC.
 Some degree of duplication among agencies and
donors.
 Need for improved coordination among stakeholders
– a common needs assessment process.
 Need for further needs assessment training
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
Process
 Initiated by Department of Finance, joint Philippine-
International experts team.
 Damages, losses and socio-economic impact.
 Estimated total US$ 4.38B damages & losses.
 Five Priority Areas ID'd: (1) Rural Production, (2)
Flood Management, (3) Housing, (4) DRR
Management, (5) Local Governance.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
Process
 Objective
 To estimate the total damage and losses to the
Philippines due to the typhoon disasters, by
sector, to establish the parameters for a
comprehensive recovery and reconstruction
program.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
Process
 Process
 Multiple sectoral-teams, including central and
local governments, civil society, private sector
and international development partners.
 Assessment used existing govt data and field
visits to develop comprehensive assessment of
damage, losses, and needs for each sector, as
well as analysis of socio-economic impacts.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
Process
 Methodology
 Damage (direct impact): Impact on assets, stock,
and property.
 Losses (indirect impact): Impact on flows that will
be affected, such as production declines, reduced
incomes, increased expenditures, etc. over a time
period until economy and assets are recovered.
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)
Process
 Methodology (cont.)
 Recovery and Reconstruction Needs: Recovery
of all economic activities to pre-disaster
levelsand Reconstruction of destroyed or
damaged physical assets.
 Guiding Principles for Recovery &
Reconstruction
 A transparent, accountable and results-based
recovery and reconstruction program.
 Community-based, people-centered and equitable
approaches.
 Reduction of future risks.
Special National Public Reconstruction
Commission (SNPRC)
 Undertake a study of causes, costs and actions
 Seek fresh aid to fund the reconstruction; tap the
resources of the private sector
 Recommend to the President reconstruction and
rehabilitation projects
 Oversee the implementation of the reconstruction
program
 Act as a clearing house for the international
assistance implemented by the donors
 National Capacity to Tackle
Natural Disasters
 Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP)
 2010-2019 Plan for DRR / Hyogo FA
 Enabling Environment
 Financial & Economic Soundness
 Supportive Decision-Making
 Safety & Well-Being Enhancement
 DRR Implementation & Evaluation
 DRR Approach for
Less-Developed States

Begin process with multi-stakeholder
consultations.

Foster close involvement and ownership
among stakeholders.

Maximize coordination among donors and
national stakeholders.

Philippine DRR experts available under
triangular assistance schemes.
 Tackling LRRD Problems
 Maximize coordination among
international and national stakeholders.
 Adopt wholistic perspective in managing
both man-made (conflict) and natural
disasters, particularly for local
governments.
Cooperation with Regional Organizations -
ASEAN

ASEAN Agreement on Disaster
Management and Disaster Response
(AADMER)

ASEAN Humanitarian Coordinator

ASEAN Regional Program on Disaster Mgt
(ARPDM)

ASEAN Cttee. on Disaster Mgt (ACDM)

ASEAN Geneva Committee (AGC)
Cooperation with Regional Organizations
and Donors
 European Union and Nations
– Bilateral
– ECHO
 Asia-Pacific Partners
– APEC, Australia, Canada, China, Japan,
New Zealand, Rep. Korea, USA
 MFIs
– World Bank, Asian Devt Bank, etc.
 Military-Humanitarian Coordination
 The NDCC is chaired by the Secretary of
National Defense
 The NDCC Secretariat is the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD)
 Military disaster management assets are
assigned to the NDCC framework
 Use of military assets for humanitarian
action is commonplace in SE Asia
 Conclusion
 International humanitarian cooperation
has been positive.
 Need for enhanced coordination among
international and domestic stakeholders.
 Further capacity building needed for
cluster approach and needs assessment.
Mabuhay !