CAFOD welcomes Ashdown Review
The government asked Paddy Ashdown to review the way the UK responds to emergencies around the world. We welcome the publication of his report.
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The head of our Humanitarian team, Matthew Carter, said: “The recent multiple humanitarian disasters, spanning the globe from Japan to Haiti, from Pakistan to Cote d’Ivoire, show there is an urgent need for rapid and effective emergency response mechanisms to be in place.
“The UK has proven itself again and again to be a leader in the field of humanitarian response and we welcome Lord Ashdown’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Review.
A greater voice
“CAFOD wholeheartedly supports the recommendation that communities receiving aid have 'a greater voice'. Experience teaches us that it is only when you listen to communities that people receive the aid that they need. We must place the needs of communities at the centre of our response, and work with local organisations which are delivering disaster relief on the ground. Our accountability to people hit by disaster must be central to the way we deliver aid.
United Nations: “often weak and slow”
“Despite the United Nations leadership of the international humanitarian system Lord Ashdown notes that it is 'often too weak and slow'. The failure to adequately coordinate humanitarian aid, for example during the Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods last year, resulted in some communities not receiving the life-saving aid they urgently needed.
“The review sets out that an effective humanitarian response must put the resilience of communities at its heart and we note the central importance it pays to this.
“Evidence has shown that the link between extreme poverty, vulnerability and improved investment in disaster risk reduction, can substantially reduce the loss of life and livelihoods. When a humanitarian crisis occurs it is all too often the poorest and most vulnerable who are hardest hit. Vital financial investment in preparing communities saves lives.
Faith communities play a central role
“We are pleased to note that the review recognizes the central role of faith communities and organizations as providers of first response in a humanitarian crisis.
“This review provides an important opportunity to reflect on how the Department for International Development (DfID), working with the international humanitarian system, can improve response.
We look forward to working with DfID as it takes forward the findings and recommendations.”
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