The ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force (HTF) convened the ASEAN Roundtable on Post Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) for Response, Recovery and Rehabilitation in Yangon, Myanmar, today. The Roundtable is part of ASEAN’s efforts to help Myanmar deal with the impact of Cyclone Nargis. The Secretary-General of ASEAN and Chairman of the HTF, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, said “The Roundtable is a milestone in our collective humanitarian effort to help communities affected by Cyclone Nargis that struck the southern part of Yangon and the Irrawady Delta on 2 May 2008.” According to Myanmar Government figures, the death toll now stands at 84,537, with 53,836 people missing and 19,359 people injured.
During the Roundtable, the PONJA teams provided an update on how the joint assessment is progressing. PONJA teams were in the field between late May and the first three weeks of June to collect the data, which they have now started processing and analysing for report compilation.
ASEAN is leading the joint assessment, which is being done in partnership with the Government of Myanmar and the United Nations. The Government of Myanmar is supporting this assessment, allowing the teams unlimited and unfettered access to the affected areas, helping the teams obtain the data for the assessment and providing the necessary logistical support.
The comprehensive joint assessment report is scheduled for release during the 41st meeting of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Singapore next month.
Dr Surin said, “This is an important report which we can consider as a roadmap for the medium and long term recovery of Myanmar in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. Our guiding principle is to help Myanmar build back better than before.”
The Roundtable also brought together disaster recovery management experts from countries with similar experience, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan. They shared knowledge with representatives from the Government of Myanmar and other ASEAN Member States on ways to help the affected people and avoid creating new disaster risks in the future.
The ASEAN Media were invited by Dr Surin to cover the Roundtable and the Government of Myanmar facilitated their entry into the country.
