Statement by Mr. Ajay Madiwale of the IFRC Delegation to the United Nations, in the General Debate, Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York
Mr. Chairman,
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) welcomes the outcome document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in June in Rio de Janeiro, and the commitments made by governments to define a sustainable development agenda after 2015. The IFRC further welcomes the commitments states made in Rio to accelerate progress of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which should remain the focus of the international community’s efforts over the next three years.
The IFRC appreciates the wide ranging and comprehensive set of global issues addressed in The Future We Want, and in particular its outlining of twenty-six “priority areas” that the new sustainable development agenda will need to address. The IFRC believes that integrated action on these areas is essential to both realizing sustainable development and building the resilience of individuals, communities and countries vulnerable to shocks.
Mr. Chairman,
Building resilience is an indispensible part of sustainable development. Shocks, both big and small, have tremendous humanitarian and economic costs for those affected, often leaving individuals and communities more vulnerable than they were previously. Developing countries are especially vulnerable to both the incidence and the impact of these shocks, which often have the effect of reversing development gains. Integrating the concept of resilience into sustainable development is an essential task, and one that is consistent with the commitments states made in Busan at the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011 to “ensure that development strategies and programs prioritize the building of resilience among people and societies at risk from shocks”.
The concept of resilience is a useful tool to bridge relief and development. We need to build on the momentum generated by this concept and the outcome of Rio +20 to strengthen the coherence and linkages between humanitarian and development work. As a network of National Societies actively engaged in both humanitarian and development work, we believe that building resilience is a cross-cutting issue that must be integrated into all our programs and efforts. However, resources are limited and serious gaps in financing for resilience building must be addressed.
In order to do this, there are a number of actions governments must take. While governments have recognised the importance of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster preparedness (DP), they have yet to back up this understanding with adequate financing. Too often, DRR and DP activities have been funded from the humanitarian budget, which makes up a small percentage of Overseas Development Assistance. Donor countries in particular need to see DRR and DP as developmental concerns, and resource them accordingly. For its part, the IFRC has committed to allocating up to 10% of all funding it receives for emergency appeals to risk reduction activities and we encourage other agencies to do the same.
Mr. Chairman,
In its calls to support small farmers and address food-price volatility, The Future We Want provides an excellent basis on which to address long-term dynamics of food security in all countries. However, donor countries also need to take earlier and more decisive action on issues of food security and nutrition in chronic crises. While substantial resources have been committed for humanitarian response in the Sahel and in the Horn of Africa, we must not wait until crises reach such emergency proportions to act. It has been repeatedly noted that early action in chronic food crises is both cost-efficient and has the potential to save many more lives. Let us heed the lessons of these crises and resolve to act before affected people reach the brink of starvation.
Mr. Chairman,
Governments must address inequities in access to health care, particularly among women and children, if sustainable development is to be realized. At the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent held in Geneva in November 2011, 187 National Societies and 164 governments agreed that addressing health inequities was necessary to achieve MDGs 3, 4, and 5 and pledged to increase efforts to ensure non-discrimination and gender equality in the provision of health services. We remind governments of that pledge today.
Mr. Chairman,
Over the next three years, a number of parallel processes will define the development landscape after 2015. Among these processes, the IFRC highlights the importance of the Hyogo Framework for Action, which focuses specifically on building the resilience of communities and nations to disaster. The IFRC calls for the accelerated implementation of the Hyogo framework and further emphasizes that disaster resilience at the community level must be adequately integrated into both national and international planning as well as the sustainable development agenda after 2015.
Mr. Chairman,
As the process to define the agenda for sustainable development proceeds over the next three years, the IFRC offers its unique voice to the discussions. With over 150 years of experience in humanitarian response and service provision, deep roots in vulnerable communities, and its auxiliary status to public authorities, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies have an important contribution to make to the formation of a post-2015 sustainable development agenda. The IFRC will encourage National Societies to participate in the national and regional consultations on the post-2015 agenda and engage with their governments on issues of sustainable development.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.