Donor Conference to Raise Funds for Burma

More than 45 countries and regional organizations have signed up to attend a donors conference in Burma on Sunday to mobilize funds for immediate humanitarian assistance for the survivors of Cyclone Nargis, the United Nations said Friday.

A homeless woman eats rice beside her one day old baby at a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Rangoon. (Photo: AP)

The conference in Burma's commercial capital, Rangoon, is being sponsored by the UN and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is taking the lead in organizing the delivery of aid to an estimated 2.5 million people who remain in severe need following the devastating storm on May 2-3.

UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said Friday the conference will focus on immediate aid but at the same time will start looking into medium- and long-term needs.

The United Nations launched an emergency appeal for US $187 million on May 9 and then raised the amount to $201 million. That figure will likely increase further once disaster relief experts are able to survey the hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta.

When the appeal was launched, the UN urged donor nations to pledge money for food, water purification tablets, emergency health kits, mosquito nets, cooking sets, plastic sheeting and water jugs. It said the money would go to 10 UN agencies and nine non-governmental organizations.

Stephanie Bunker, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said Friday that so far the UN has received about $50 million in contributions and about $42.5 million in pledges in response to the appeal.

The pledging conference is taking place two days after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a breakthrough in the delivery of aid following a meeting with Burma's military strongman, Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

Ban said Burma's ruling junta—after three weeks of refusing to allow all but a few foreign aid workers into the hard-hit delta—will now allow all emergency workers and civilian vessels into the cyclone-ravaged region, as long as it is clear what the workers will be doing and how long they will remain.

The UN chief will return to Rangoon on Sunday morning to co-chair the conference.

In addition to the more than 45 countries and regional bodies expected at the conference, Okabe said about a dozen UN agencies, funds, and programs, and the World Bank, will also be represented. "In total, more than 300 participants are expected, including 243 representatives from member states," she said.

Whether the agreement announced by Ban provides enough assurance to potential donors to give generously remains to be seen.

Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Thursday that the success of the donors conference will depend on the government's transparency in assessing storm damage. He urged Burma's military rulers to relax restrictions on foreign aid workers and present a coherent spending plan for money pledged at the conference.

Surin said Burma has estimated losses from the storm at about US $11 billion, but he cast doubt on the figure.

Bunker said the UN is focusing on funding the emergency appeal, which includes $4.8 million for early recovery efforts and $10 million for agriculture, a particularly crucial sector because the delta is Burma's rice bowl and many paddies are now flooded with salt water.

"The medium and longer term needs will have to be determined through very thorough needs assessments," Bunker said.

Meanwhile Premier Wen Jiabao said Saturday China will pledge US $10 million for Burma cyclone aid at an international donors' conference.

Wen's announcement came as he and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited earthquake-hit areas of China.

"Tomorrow, the Chinese foreign minister will go to Myanmar [Burma], and we will pledge US $10 million in aid," Wen said.

Beijing already has given its ally Burma relief supplies valued at 30 million yuan ($4.3 million).