Highlights
• The ETC is providing shared internet connectivity to the response community at 10 sites across Nepal.
• Over 620 individuals from 120 different response organisations have registered to use ETC connectivity services.
Objectives of the mission were as follows:
Conduct Assessment of:
• Extent and nature of damages in earthquake affected areas
• Urgent needs of affected populations
• District government procedures for delivery of relief
• Activities being implemented by local partner CHESS Nepal
AFAD Chief reiterates Turkey’s commitment to helping people around the world at official ceremony.
Istanbul, 19 May 2015 – The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), which coordinates Turkey’s response to humanitarian crises and disasters, delivered 4 tons of food and medical supplies to Nepal, where two major earthquakes claimed thousands of lives over the past month.
Speaking to reporters at the official ceremony on Tuesday evening, AFAD Chief Dr. Fuat Oktay noted that the Turkish search and rescue mission reached Kathmandu within the first 24 hours to save 21-year old John Keisi from the debris of a residential building. «This week, we also delivered 2400 food boxes to the people of Yemen,» Dr. Oktay added. «Turkey is committed to helping people in need wherever they may be.»
AFAD has been working closely with the Nepalese authorities and the United Nations to help communities which have been affected by recent earthquakes. The first shipment of humanitarian aid, consisting of 16 tons of food, medicine and personal hygiene products, had reached Nepal in late April.
The £10 million funding will immunise children, ensure women can deliver babies safely and help rebuild damaged health facilities.
Britain is leading the rebuild of thousands of hospitals in Nepal to get health services up and running and ensure vulnerable groups like girls and women are protected following the devastating earthquakes, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced today, during her visit to the country.
As the focus in Nepal moves to reconstruction, the Department for International Development (DFID) is pledging a further £10 million so that children can continue to be immunised, women can deliver babies safely and work can commence on rebuilding up to 1,000 damaged health facilities.
This work to resume regular health services builds on the UK’s long term commitment to the sector and UK emergency support since the disaster, such as DFID-funded medics who were sent in the immediate aftermath to treat those affected by the earthquake.
Around 2,000 pregnant women in districts damaged by the earthquake could be due to give birth before the monsoon season arrives in late June. In some cases babies will be born prematurely because of the stress associated with the earthquake. Britain’s support will help ensure there are safe facilities for women to give birth and that they and their babies receive the care they need.
DFID is also reallocating support to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to provide around 15,000 dignity kits to women and girls affected by the earthquake. These kits contain basic clothes, including a shawl and sari, soap, a flashlight, toothpaste, sanitary napkins, laundry soap and other essential items that will make life a little more comfortable and allow women and girls to maintain some dignity. In addition to distributing kits UNFPA staff will be on hand to provide advice around protection and keeping safe.
This latest package of support brings the UK response to the Nepal earthquake to more than £33 million – making it the largest donor to the relief operation.
Justine Greening said:
" The resilience of the Nepalese people I have met is astounding. Although many lost everything they are determined to literally rebuild their lives from the ground up. British aid is helping them do that.
" This is Britain at its best. Within hours of the first earthquake DFID had sent a team of experts to Nepal, along with search and rescue responders, medics, and forklift trucks when things started to get clogged up at the airport. Meanwhile the British public have shown their generosity with donations of more than £50 million to the DEC Appeal.
" Britain was there for Nepal in its hour of need and we will stay to provide the longer term support it needs to get back on its feet. Hospitals as well as homes were destroyed in the two earthquakes, and people are living in terrible conditions, but this support will mean children don’t miss out on their vaccinations and women have health clinics to go to.
The UK’s £10 million, announced today, will help to provide 12 months of life-saving health services in earthquake devastated districts including:
The remaining resources will ensure that key partners are prepared to respond in the event of another crisis and will be able to deliver good quality health services to vulnerable women and children.
Despite the incredibly challenging circumstances, UK and international support has meant that more than 400 severe causalities have been airlifted out of remote areas and more than 100,000 people have received treatment for injuries and other ailments, with 1,400 having received major surgery.
During her visit, Ms Greening also travelled out to the remote town of Chautara where she met people who have lost their homes and are now living in temporary accommodation supplied by the UK. She also saw for herself how the UK is playing a key role in coordinating logistics and distribution of relief supplies both at a hub station in Chautara and at the main DFID-funded emergency aid base at Kathmandu airport.
The UK has so far committed more than £33 million to help Nepal in the wake of the earthquake including:
Notes to editors
Press office
Email : pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk Telephone: 020 7023 0600
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Iridium donates new emergency telecommunication equipment to ITU
Geneva, 20 May 2015 – Iridium Communications Inc, a satellite communications company that offers global voice and data communications coverage, has donated new emergency telecommunication equipment to ITU. The donation, which consists of 25 satellite phones and batteries, will strengthen ITU’s telecommunication capacity in response to natural disasters.
Iridium, a long-standing member of ITU, has been assisting ITU with emergency telecommunication since 2007, when the first Iridium hand-held mobile satellite phones and solar batteries were donated to the Union.
"We thank Iridium for this generous contribution," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. "This new equipment donation, combined with the reliability of the Iridium network, will greatly boost ITU’s capacity in deploying telecommunications during emergencies and will strengthen response and recovery mechanisms.”
“Iridium’s donation comes at a critical time when natural disasters are on the increase,” said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. “This partnership confirms our continued commitment to using technology to save lives.”
Recently, ITU has deployed 35 satellite mobile phones and 10 Broadband Global Area Network terminals to earthquake-stricken Nepal. The equipment, which included Iridium satellite phones, ensures timely flow of information that is much needed by government agencies and other humanitarian actors involved in rescue operations.
“The work ITU is doing in Nepal, as well as in other disaster-stricken areas, is vital,” said Mr Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium. “After an event such as this series of earthquakes, much of the telecom infrastructure is often damaged or destroyed, making the need for communications supported by a global, reliable satellite network crucial to the recovery work that will occur in the days and weeks to come. We’re proud to be a part of this work and hope our contributions will help with the relief and rebuilding efforts.”
At the Third UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015, ITU emphasized that with over 7 billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, almost 3 billion people connected to the internet and with 4.9 billion connected devices, ICTs have a vast potential to support disaster risk reduction efforts.
ITU considers emergency telecommunications an integral part of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. Through innovative and easy to use technologies, local communities can be empowered to provide early warning signals and also act as first responders when the disaster strikes.
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
tel +41 22 730 5046
+41 79 249 4861
sanjay.acharya@itu.int
Monica Albertini
Communication Officer, BDT
tel +41 22 730 5317
+41 79 808 6065
monica.albertini@itu.int
HIGHLIGHTS
USAID/OFDA announces an additional $9 million in humanitarian assistance for the Nepal earthquake response.
U.S. military concludes earthquake relief operations in Nepal.
An additional 1,840 rolls of USAID/OFDA plastic sheeting arrive in Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu
BLUF – Implications to PACOM
The 300 U.S. Marine, Army, Air Force and Navy personnel involved in rescue operations have concluded their work and will begin leaving Nepal. (AP)
There are no further requirements for tilt rotor or rotary wing aircraft. JTF 505 will begin the movement of JTF-505 assets from Nepal and Utapao, Thailand with the MV-22’s self-deploying on 21 May followed by the UH-1Y’s on 22 May, Nepal time. (USPACOM)
After today, five foreign militaries remain in Nepal: The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India and China. (JTF 505)
KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Joint Task Force 505 is drawing down its earthquake relief operations as the Nepalese government and international aid agencies have postured for long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Nepal announced its transition from relief operations to the recovery phase of disaster response yesterday.
"We are grateful for the essential contributions of Operation Sahayogi Haat to the post-earthquake relief efforts,” said Peter Bodde, U.S. ambassador to Nepal. “The joint relief missions conducted by the U.S. and Nepalese militaries brought life-saving aid to those who needed it most and reinforced the United States’ close partnership with Nepal and its people."
The responsible redeployment of Joint Task Force 505 units in the coming days is able to occur quickly because the capacity of Nepal and the international community to meet the needs of the relief effort continues to grow and “together they are able to meet the requirements the U.S. joint task force would otherwise provide,” said Bill Berger, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s disaster assessment response team leader.
Emergency Food and Supplies
During the operation, Joint Task Force 505 delivered about 114 tons of emergency relief supplies, including plastic sheeting, shelter kits, blankets, water, medical supplies and emergency and supplemental food in support of USAID. In addition to delivering aid, the task force transported 534 personnel and conducted 63 casualty evacuations.
Demand has decreased for unique Joint Task Force 505 capabilities in further recovery efforts, said Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John Wissler, the task force’s commander.
As recovery efforts have progressed over the past weeks, for example, the logistical expertise of the 36th Contingency Response Group, a uniquely qualified Air Force unit out of Guam specializing in airfield management, is significantly reduced at Tribhuvan International Airport. Aid stockpiles are no longer backlogged, as the group has trained Nepalese army and airport personnel during their ongoing operations.
“We will continue to work closely with our Nepalese partners and USAID to ensure we meet the needs that may emerge during the coordinated transition and retrograde of our military capabilities as long as we remain in Nepal,” Wissler said. “Once we have returned to Okinawa, we will reset our ability to respond to any future disasters requiring our support. We stand with Nepal.”
This experience has forged a stronger relationship, Wissler said. “I look forward to future training opportunities to further improve our interoperability, refine our bilateral and multilateral processes, and continue to learn from our experiences working side by side,” he added.
Air Assets
Joint Task Force 505 contributed three Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters and four Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to the relief effort throughout Nepal. Additionally, four Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs, four Air Force C-130 Hercules and two Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft, as well as various ground and aviation command and control assets, contributed to the effort.
About 900 U.S. military and civilian personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps contributed to the Nepal relief efforts under the joint task force’s auspices. About 300 task force personnel worked in Nepal, 320 others worked in the main headquarters in Japan, and 280 worked at the intermediate staging base in Thailand.
Joint Task Force 505 initiated Operation Sahayogi Haat, -- meaning “helping hand” in Nepali -- to limit further loss of life and human suffering in response to the devastating magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck central Nepal on April 25, and continued the response after the magnitude-7.4 earthquake that struck May 12. More than 8,600 people died, and more than 16,000 were injured as a result of the earthquakes, according to latest official numbers.
"We, people, are men and women of the armed forces,” said Maj. Gen. Binoj Basnyat commandant of the Nepalese army’s command and staff college. “We understand each other; we know what the need is. So it has been a tremendous help for us while you were here, and helping us to get things in the proper direction. It's been a great help."
Author: Emma Batha
CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 19 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The massive earthquakes in Nepal will lead to a dramatic rise in child marriage and the trafficking of children as criminals prey on orphans and parents act to protect young daughters, the head of a social welfare organisation predicted on Tuesday.
Read the full article on AlertNet
The MOFCOM spokesman Sun Jiwen accepted an interview on Chinese government’s three rounds of relief supplies to quake-hit Nepal on May 14.
Sun said the MOFCOM took the lead to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and the General Staff Headquarters to organize and conduct three rounds of emergency humanitarian assistance to quake-hit Nepal with a combined value of RMB 140 million.
Under the guidance of the righteous idea of morality and benefit proposed by President Xi Jinping, China’s aid to Nepal is righteous with the following three characteristics: firstly, swift response. The Chinese government is one of the first countries to provide Nepal with assistance and to send rescue team to Nepal. After the earthquake, the MOFCOM launched emergency humanitarian rescue mechanism immediately to organize and transport the relief supplies as soon as possible. The aid project team in Nepal also joined the local rescue work while trying to save themselves from danger, they provided the local people with all their food and tents in stock and managed to save eight Nepalese people in the golden time of the first 72 hours. Secondly, constant help. The first round of relief supplies aimed to solve accommodation problems. Many victims in Nepal lost their residence in the earthquake and the tents and blankets were in urgent needs. The second relief supplies aimed to solve the health and security problems after earthquake and added water purifiers and first-aid kits. The 7.5 magnitude aftershock hit Nepal on May 12. To help the Nepalese side fight against secondary disaster and relocate the victims well, the Chinese government launched the third round of relief supplies to the disaster areas in Nepal, mainly including water-proof tarpaulin, tents and family health package. The three rounds of assistance were advanced orderly to meet the most urgent needs of the disaster areas at different period so as to ensure the constant and positive assistance. Thirdly, the joint efforts of the governmental departments and non-governmental departments. Besides the emergency humanitarian assistance launched by the Chinese government and large-scale cross-border relief action initiated by the Chinese army, China’s civil relief team and volunteers were also the first to hurry to the disaster areas, while attending the rescue work were also people from China-funded enterprises and the Chinese people in Nepal. The China-funded enterprises make full use of their own advantages to repair the roads and restore the communications for the local people, and to provide traffic help and accommodation for the stranded Chinese tourists in Nepal. They have made the Nepalese people genuinely feel the Chinese people’s kindness and the Chinese victims in Nepal feel the support from our fellow countrymen.
China’s aid to Nepal started in 1956. Over the recent 60 years, China has carried out over 110 various kinds of projects in Nepal including civil service hospitals, comprehensive technical schools, National Research Center for Nature Conservation Foundation and traditional Chinese medicine research center, which have withstood the test of strong earthquake and were named “strong buildings”. In addition, the Chinese side also trained about 2,500 talents in various fields for Nepal. China’s aid has played a positive role in promoting Nepal’s economic and social development.
In recent years, China has suffered from the Sichuan Wenchuan Earthquake, the Qinghai Yushu Earthquake, and the Yunnan Ludian Earthquake. Many countries including Nepal offered China the emergency assistance, imprinted on the mind of the Chinese government and Chinese people, and we feel great sympathy for the Nepalese government and its people’s suffering. We also call on the international society here to make active efforts to further cooperation and join the earthquake relief work and post-quake reconstruction together with the Nepalese government and the Nepalese people.
Key facts and figures, initiatives, progress, challenges, needs and opportunities related to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of the Nepal earthquake emergency response.
Ensuring a gender-responsive humanitarian effort involves acknowledging the different needs of women, men, girls and boys and promoting their equal opportunities. However, pre-existing gender inequality, as evidenced through discrimination, violence and exclusion, means that during times of disasters and conflict, women and girls bear the brunt of the crisis. Displacement, over-crowded centresfor the internally displaced, lack of privacy, lack of lighting, limited and unsegregated wash facilities, hegemonic masculinity crises and other factors can often contribute to an increase in incidences of sexual violence against women and girls. Higher levels of violence against women and girlsin turn greatly increase the likelihood of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and complications for reproductive health. Many women, especially the disabled, elderly and female heads of households, are at risk of being overlooked when it comes to accessing relief and recovery assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake. This is the result of several obstacles such as lack of access to information, having to walk for long periods to receive aid, and having to continue to perform household chores. Notably, the high demand of women’s time, due to existing gender norms, is intensified in times of emergencies and negatively impacts on their opportunities to seek livelihoods opportunities and equally contribute to the response. An issue of particular concern relates to the lack or loss of documentation (incl. citizenship papers) which, in the absence of a male relative, renders many women unable to access humanitarian assistance and support. Female-headed households may be at a further disadvantage in terms of clearing rubble, salvaging materials and repairing their homes. At the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held on May 13, the member states emphasised the importance of integrating a gender perspective in the Nepal earthquake response, as well as ensuring women take an active and equal role in all relevant aspects related to disaster management and rehabilitation.
According to the 2011 census figures, the 14 districts most affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on 25 April (Bhaktapur, Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kavrepalanchwok, Kathmandu, Lalitpur,
Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchwok, Makawanpur, Sindhuli and Okhaldhunga) include approximately:
2,710,239 women (50.5% of total population)
326,943 female-headed households (26.5% of all households)
39,987 women with disabilities
163,043 women aged 65 and over (6% of total female population)
764,226 girls aged 14 or under (28% of total female population)
794,529 illiterate women (29% of total female population).
In the Gorkha district, the epicentre of the earthquake, the ratio of households that are headed by women is as high as one-third.
Approx. 55% of casualties identified as female - 8,604 people (4,726 female, 3,834 male, 44 bodied unidentified).
According to UN estimates outlined in the Flash Appeal approximately:
3.2 million women are among the population affected by protection concerns.
525,000 are women of reproductive age
126,000 pregnant women
21,000 of whom will need obstetric care in the coming three months.
40,000 women are at immediate risk of gender-based violence.
Sex-disaggregated district-level data received so far shows that women are among the majority of the earthquake affected populations:
Kavre: 46 boys, 58 girls, 86 men and 123 women have died.
Sindhupalchok: 92 boys, 84 girls, 384 men and 592 women have died.
Rasuwa: 251 cases revealed that 62% of deaths and 59% of injured were women.
Overview
On 25 April, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake racked Nepal. A second major earthquake of 7.3 magnitude struck on 12 May 2015, causing further death, injuries and devastation among the affected population. The two earthquakes together have claimed over 8 000 lives and injured more than 16 000.
A total of 35 districts have been affected, 14 severely: Gorkha, Dhading, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchok, Kavre, Nuwakot, Dolakha, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Ramechhap, Okhaldunga, Sindhuli and Makwanpur. As of 11 May, more than 1,000 health facilities, predominantly village health posts, had been assessed by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) as being totally or partially damaged.
Twenty-five hospitals have been damaged (six completely and 19 partially).
The MoHP continues to lead the Health Cluster with co-leadership from WHO. Ongoing priorities include:
Treatment of the injured, including the provision of rehabilitation services
Rapid restoration of health services, including the bolstering of reproductive health, child health and mental health services
Provision of logistical support (delivery and distribution of medical supplies, tents etc)
Strengthening of surveillance and contingency planning for communicable and vector-borne diseases in preparation for the monsoon period
Consolidation of assessments to ensure coverage of areas beyond district centres
Rule of Law Global Programme Annual Report 2014
The rule of law lies at the centre of the relationship between society and the state. Measures to establish or strengthen the rule of law are the basis for creating accountability among people as well as between citizens and their governments. Since 2008, UNDP has been a leader in supporting the rule of law in countries affected by crisis through its Global Programme to Strengthen the Rule of Law in Crisis-Affected and Fragile Situations.
This report gives a synopsis of the results achieved in 2014 at the country-level through UNDP implemented programmes, including through the Global Focal Point, in assisting 38 crisis-affected countries to deal with the legacy of violence, increase safety and security for all, build confidence through accessible and effective justice and security institutions, and improve the delivery of justice and security for women. Serving the UN System through rule of law, key policy developments and response to crises are also highlighted.
