As we move from tsunami relief to rebuilding, it is equally critical that we work to break the cycle of poverty and create a better, more hopeful future for the peoples of the region and not recreate the circumstances that made them vulnerable to the disaster.
They live precariously in flimsy shelters on flood plains, river banks and coastal strips unprotected by sea walls. They are the people who live on the poverty line — the fishermen of Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Somalia, eking out a living, the Acehnese farmer, the Thai women selling handicrafts to tourists. The enormous effect of this tragedy is one of many reminders that we are all linked together by forces that are both visible and invisible: forces of nature, of poverty, of disease, terrorism, crime and drugs.
Reconstruction should begin quickly. This stage is not just a matter of financial resources and physical infrastructure, but also human beliefs and emotional pressures. It is rebuilding the individual lives of real people.
In this context, the roles of the communities, civil society and the private sector are very important as we work to respond together. We at the World Bank certainly want to work this way, trying to help people rebuild not only physical assets but also their own confidence and hope. As the international community holds meetings and as countries and organisations continue to make pledges, there is an increasing concern that the overall level of assistance to help poor countries including the tsunami-stricken nations won’t actually increase but will merely come from shifting existing funds.
This is not the answer. We simply cannot divert resources from other essential development projects to one emergency after another. — Inter Press Service
James D Wolfensohn is president of the World Bank