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The Post Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) teams completed their assessments today. The 250-strong teams were deployed to the cyclone-hit areas in the Yangon Division and Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) Delta starting 9 June and 11 June 2008 respectively, for a two-week assessment.
 
An appreciation ceremony was held in Yangon today to welcome back the PONJA teams. Members of the teams comprised personnel from the Government of Myanmar, ASEAN Member States, the UN, international and local NGOs, Myanmar Red Cross, private sector as well as volunteers. The Asian Development Bank and World Bank, who are supporting ASEAN for the assessment, also took part in the Joint Assessment.
 
Preliminary findings from the Joint Assessment and countries’ experiences would be shared at the ASEAN Roundtable on Post Nargis Joint Assessment for Response, Recovery and Reconstruction on 24 June. Besides members from the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force, Tripartite Core Group (TCG) and PONJA teams, partners and donors are expected to participate in the Roundtable.
 
Preceding this, a Workshop on Medical Missions Feedback will be convened on 23 June to address urgent medical and health challenges and to recommend measures to aid in Post-Nargis relief response and early recovery.
 
Following the two events, the Third Meeting of the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force will be held on 25 June to discuss on the interim report of the Joint Assessment, as well as outcomes and recommendations from the Roundtable.
 
Secretary General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, will be in Yangon for the events. He is scheduled to conduct a field monitoring visit to the affected areas in the Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) Delta on 26 June with the TCG members.