“Experience from natural disasters of similar scale of destruction has shown that recovery support will be required for years to come,” said Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar.
He added that recovery efforts in the wake of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami are only beginning to be phased out now.
International assistance, therefore, is urgently required for early- and medium-term recovery efforts outlined in the three-year Post-Nargis Response and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP), which was launched earlier this year by the Tripartite Core Group (TCG), comprising the Myanmar Government, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN.
That plan, which has a price tag of nearly $700 million, provides the blueprint for the reconstruction of communities devastated by the cyclone, which battered the country last May, leaving around 140,000 dead or missing and displacing 800,000 from their homes.
The need for funds – particularly for the shelter and agriculture sectors – is especially acute since the monsoon season will begin in just four weeks.
Over 1,000 families are still taking shelter in vulnerable buildings that provide minimal protection from possibly severe weather conditions, while small, poultry and draught animals must be re-stocked to assist vulnerable and landless households.
Assistance to farmers is essential to jump-start the local economy and restore agriculture-based livelihoods. Other areas needing boosts include education, especially for girls, and health.
The UN is currently arranging for another donor meeting to discuss needs in Yangon this week.
