Minister urges donors for pragmatic disaster-aid
Thursday, 29 April 2010
FE Report
Food and disaster affairs minister Abdur Razzaque Wednesday urged the donor community to come up with appropriate development aid for people vulnerable to disasters, spurning the practice of what he called support for 'software' activities.
"I do want more 'hardware' activities rather than 'software' ones and the benefit should go directly to the people exposed to vulnerable conditions," he said.
"Development aid should go to the victims of natural disasters and should not be squandered in the name of capacity building, training, and building institutions," Mr Razzaque said at the launch of the second phase of a multi-donor funded disaster management project in the city.
He made the apparently unpalatable remarks as top officials of donor agencies and a United Nations development body listened while sitting on the podium.
The disaster minister also warned against compromising on quality of the works of the project, as he asked all partners to put in place strong evaluation and monitoring activities.
" … Quality of the works shouldn't be compromised in any way," he told the implementers of the project, where his own ministry would take the lead.
Mr Razzaque laid emphasis on further detailing in order to provide "a sound basis" for implementing project activities that will continue up to 2014.
Food and disaster affairs minister Abdur Razzaque Wednesday urged the donor community to come up with appropriate development aid for people vulnerable to disasters, spurning the practice of what he called support for 'software' activities.
"I do want more 'hardware' activities rather than 'software' ones and the benefit should go directly to the people exposed to vulnerable conditions," he said.
"Development aid should go to the victims of natural disasters and should not be squandered in the name of capacity building, training, and building institutions," Mr Razzaque said at the launch of the second phase of a multi-donor funded disaster management project in the city.
He made the apparently unpalatable remarks as top officials of donor agencies and a United Nations development body listened while sitting on the podium.
The disaster minister also warned against compromising on quality of the works of the project, as he asked all partners to put in place strong evaluation and monitoring activities.
" … Quality of the works shouldn't be compromised in any way," he told the implementers of the project, where his own ministry would take the lead.
Mr Razzaque laid emphasis on further detailing in order to provide "a sound basis" for implementing project activities that will continue up to 2014.