主题：2012 大选周记 之一 -- 切地雷

What was fascinating about the session is that the three countries that were presenting —Cambodia, Sierra Leone and Norway — aren’t countries that we immediately think of as having the largest natural disasters in recent years. In fact, Norway has been on the giving, not receiving, end of aid for many years. However, because of climate change, Norway believes it is important to have something in place should they need outside assistance. (Hurricane Katrina was cited, among others, as an unexpected disaster for a country that traditionally has not needed outside assistance).

These three countries are receiving legal assistance through a partnership between the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other relevant countries. The ultimate goal is to put some kind of Disaster Management Law in place, despite the fact that it is usually a very lengthy and difficult process, as described by the presenters. There was a representative from Indonesia who spoke up about their current Disaster Management Law, and the Minister from Cambodia then joked about having used Indonesia's law as a template for Cambodia's law.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Norwegian Refugee Council leaves Sudan - Mercy Corps suspends work in Darfur, western Sudan

Press Release from Mercy Corps March 4, 2009

Mercy Corps Suspends Work in Darfur

On Wednesday, March 4, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued a warrant for the arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan for crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of Sudan.

According to media reports, the Government of Sudan revoked the registration of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) shortly after the ICC's announcement. Mercy Corps' registration was revoked. The Government did not offer a reason for this decision.

As a result, Mercy Corps will halt programs in Darfur and Khartoum effective immediately to begin implementing the closeout process as outlined by the government.

Mercy Corps deeply regrets the decision of the Sudanese government to revoke our registration. The agency remains committed to working with the government to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur, and recovery and development programming that is critical to maintaining the fragile peace in other areas of northern Sudan. Mercy Corps intends to appeal this decision under Sudanese law.

"This is a devastating blow to the many people of Sudan who rely upon NGOs for both immediate survival, and help in building more prosperous and stable futures for their families," says Mercy Corps President Nancy Lindborg. "We sincerely hope that this decision will be reversed so we can get back to the critical business of saving and improving lives."

Mercy Corps has been operating in Sudan for five years. The country has been torn apart by two conflicts — a 21-year civil war that ended in 2005 and the ongoing violence in Darfur — and many of its people remain displaced and living in desperate poverty.

In the Darfur region, Mercy Corps provides lifesaving services to 200,000 people who have been forced from their homes by violence and are living in displacement camps. These services include keeping camps clean, training health promoters, building and supplying schools, and providing skills training to women and other vulnerable people.

Mercy Corps takes steps to ensure that our programs are not used to further any particular political or religious agenda. We are completely independent of, and have no position on, the actions of the International Criminal Court.