PHILIPPINES: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urges international community to scale up support for Philippines' post-typhoon recovery and reconstruction

Record ID: 564822

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urges international community to scale up support for Philippines' post-typhoon recovery and reconstruction
  • Date: 22nd December 2013
  • Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (DECEMBER 22, 2013) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY -GENERAL BAN KI MOON AND PHILIPPINE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY ALBERT DEL ROSARIO STANDING AT PODIUM BAN LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "Yesterday I was deeply moved and also inspired by my visit to Tacloban. People are working hard to recover. We must not allow this to be another forgotten crisis." U.N. REPRESENTATIVES LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "I urge all donors to add to their already generous response so that we can help communities to build back better and safer." BAN AND DEL ROSARIO LISTENING, AS REPORTER ASKS QUESTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "My impression, having visited Tacloban yesterday, was very very dire situation, still very dire. But at the same time, I was very much impressed by such a strong resilience of the people. The businesses were coming slowly to normalcy." VARIOUS OF BAN AND DEL ROSARIO SHAKING HANDS BAN LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE, AND GREETING OFFICIALS, REPORTERS
  • Embargoed: 6th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABHJFV6XDWTKB733IYLJNXU4A9
  • Story Text: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stepped up an appeal for funds on Sunday (December 22) to help the Philippines recover from a devastating typhoon last month after visiting stricken areas a day earlier.
    Ban visited Tacloban, the epicentre of Typhoon Haiyan, on Saturday (December 21) and said he saw a need for continued assistance, in providing food and shelter as well as in rebuilding.
    "Yesterday I was deeply moved and also inspired by my visit to Tacloban. People are working hard to recover. We must not allow this to be another forgotten crisis," Ban said.
    Typhoon Haiyan reduced almost everything in its path to rubble when it swept ashore in the central Philippines on November 8, killing more than 6,000 people, with nearly 1800 missing, and 4 million either homeless or with damaged homes.
    "I urge all donors to add to their already generous response so that we can help communities to build back better and safer," he added.
    The United Nations announced an appeal this week for $800 million of funding to provide 12 months of assistance for 14 million people affected by Haiyan, the strongest typhoon to ever hit land. The funds would be used to provide access to food, shelter, water, health and sanitation services.
    The call for funding was part of the highest U.N. annual appeal ever of $12.9 billion for 2014, with more than half going to Syria and its neighbors.
    So far, the United Nations has received only 30 percent of targeted amount for the Philippines.
    Ban said he spoke with representatives of UN agencies in typhoon-hit areas, and asked them to work in unison to meet the expectations of affected populations.
    "My impression, having visited Tacloban yesterday, was very very dire situation, still very dire. But at the same time, I was very much impressed by such a strong resilience of the people. The businesses were coming slowly to normalcy," Ban said.
    On Wednesday (December 18), President Benigno Aquino unveiled the government's 361 billion pesos ($8.2 billion) reconstruction plan, appealing for help from donor agencies and the international humanitarian community as he promised corruption-free use of aid
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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