Stocking supplies at UN site ‘will save thousands of lives’

LOCATING Irish aid supplies like tents and blankets at a UN hub in Italy will save thousands of lives in natural disasters, a leading UN aid coordinator said yesterday.

The Government signed a €1.5 million deal with the UN World Food Programme to pre-position the materials at its rapid response centre in the port of Brindisi.

The supplies, which also include cooking utensils, mosquito nets, and water and sanitation equipment, will also be stocked on a smaller scale in the Curragh Camp as it is close to Dublin Airport and Baldonnel Airport.

Minister of State for Development Co-operation and Human Rights, Conor Lenihan, said the Rapid Response Initiative was the first proposal to be implemented from the recently-published White Paper on Irish Aid.

UN Food Programme executive director James Morris said Ireland was playing a leading role in responding to an increasing number of natural disasters.

He said: “This is a monumental humanitarian contribution that will save thousands of lives out there. We don’t know where the next natural disaster will be, but as sure as I am sitting here, one will happen this week.”

Mr Lenihan added: “This initiative also shows that the White Paper is not just gathering dust. It is the first sign that we are actively implementing its proposals.”

The Government will also contribute a once-off payment of €400,000 towards the expansion of UN supply depots, and an annual €400,000 for the cost of operating a facility in Accra, Ghana.

The port of Brindisi in southern Italy is the base for the UN’s rapid response unit, which can scramble emergency aid to disaster regions within 48 hours.

Mr Morris said that the value of deploying aid in the first days of a crisis is many more times more valuable than later on.

“The instant response is the most important,” he said.

Mr Morris said that wars and conflicts like the Israel-Hezbollah offensive also required swift humanitarian responses.

The Government will also draw up a register of engineers and other workers who can be deployed within 24 hours to assist in emergency situations.

A new dedicated unit for conflict analysis and resolution will also be established within the Foreign Affairs Department, as well as a hunger task force to examine how to help tackle the root causes of food insecurity, particularly in Africa.