Donors urged to help in quick recovery of cyclone loss

Partners of the Global Facility for Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction (GFDRR) have appealed international donors to support accelerated recovery of the losses caused by Cyclone Sidr.
Ulla Tornaes, visiting Danish minister for development cooperation, disclosed this yesterday at a joint press briefing of Denmark and World Bank (WB), two of the contributing partners of GFDRR.
Denmark will grant $2 million to GFDRR and the fund will be used here through the WB for improving disaster preparedness and priority recovery support in the medium-term, she said adding that Denmark has already donated $1 million for emergency relief in Bangladesh.
In addition, Denmark will also donate $1 million to ActionAid for strengthening community-level disaster preparation and adaptation to climate change.
Tornaes said she hoped the $2 million would bridge the gap between humanitarian relief and long-term reconstruction.
The reconstruction effort is a 'great' challenge that needs international support, and that is why the GFDRR partners have issued the appeal, she added.
"Climate change and natural disaster risk reduction are linked together and should be addressed in a common context," said Tornaes.
She also said that Denmark, as the host of the next UN conference on climate change, would look to integrate both climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into development assistance through the GFDRR.
Zhu Xian, World Bank's Bangladesh country director, who was also present at the briefing, said "Increasingly the international community is focusing on prevention and long-term risk reduction, not just reconstruction." The GFDRR ensures attention beyond the immediate relief operations -- on long-term recovery and preparedness, Xian added.
Asked about Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed's $1 billion appeal to protect the southern coast from climate change and natural disasters, Xian said it was still a 'concept' and the issue requires national consensus.
The GFDRR has already donated $300,000 to Bangladesh for disaster preparedness and comprehensive disaster risk management.