SG: Good evening ladies and Gentlemen. I am happy to be here in Pakistan, although it is tragedy and sad news that brings me here. I came first of all to see for myself and to listen and to find out from the Government, from my own UN team and the international organizations, how things are going and what further we can do, and also to show international solidarity with the Government and people of Pakistan.
This morning I had the opportunity of visiting the affected areas, and I must say it was unimaginable; one had to see it to understand what has happened.
It is clear that the effort will take time and that the support the international organizations bring to the task must be sustained and must be commensurate to the task.
I hope that tomorrow's pledging conference we will be receiving generous pledges from governments, generous pledges that can be converted fairly quickly into cash.
The response so far has been good, but it could be better. I would also want to thank the Government and the people of Pakistan for the incredible cooperation they have given to the international teams that are here, UN, NGOs and those on a bilateral basis - because we couldn't do it without that cooperation.
I was also impressed this morning to discover that the Pakistan Army, UN funds, programmes and agencies and NGOs are working very well together in a coordinated manner. In these kinds of crises, coordination is absolutely essential.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I'll pause here and take your questions.
Q: Yesterday, in your chat with the newsmen, you referred to an element of delay in relief and rescue efforts, had it been otherwise many lives could be saved, as you said. I would like to know who and what is responsible? Second, related to the Volcker report, what are you doing to secure the documents?
SG: Let me say that I'm a bit surprised at what you are ascribing to me that I said yesterday that there were delays in the operation and things could have been better. Of course, when these things happen, these are things that are a force of nature and could not have been planned. Where there had been preparedness and early warning systems you can mitigate against but cannot stop or anticipate an earthquake. Of course, in the first few days, given the terrain, there were major logistical challenges which had to be overcome. Once the logistical challenges had been overcome and goods started to move, helicopters were available to be able to get to those at high altitude - I think the operations began moving in earnest. And of course I was quite impressed by the operation, the smoothness of cooperation amongst everyone while I was there today.
On your second question, yes, we will safeguard the records, it is always been our intention, and it will be safeguarded.
Q: How would you view the situation here in Pakistan, that the American forces are working directly…except under your supervision?
SG: That American forces are working directly, is that what you said? I think the Government of Pakistan in this moment of crisis is free to accept help from anyone who sends help. Many governments have offered help. You have helicopters here coming from NATO countries, you have UN helicopters, you have others, US military hospitals, Turkish military hospitals; I don't see what is wrong with that. The main thing is to get help to those in need. We had a similar situation after the tsunami. A special taskforce was set up with military assets from Singapore, US, Australia, Malaysia to help deal with the major logistical problem. So you have to see it in that context. I have no problem with that, and besides, it's not my decision, quite frankly: it's the Government's.
Q: Mr. Annan, what are your comments on the opening of the Line of Control?
SG: I think the two leaders and two governments have reacted in a positive and responsible manner since the crisis. Now you have three points that are open, no four, and I think the fifth one has either been done or is going to be done very shortly. I think that whatever we can do to facilitate relief and passage across the line to be able to assist those in need should be done and I am encouraged by what the leaders have done so far.
Q: This morning you visited the Azad Kashmir, the capital of Azad Kashmir, and you've seen the devastation that has been brought about by the earthquake. My question is, when will the suffering of the people living on the other side of the Line of Control and, through your good efforts, when will this issue of Kashmir be resolved?
SG: I think the discussions between the two countries and the two leaders is a very positive development. I think the talks which have been initiated must continue and the two leaders should strive harder to come to an agreement and an understanding. We, at the UN, of course, support that kind of peace effort. I think some of the things that are happening now on the Line of Control hopefully will be seen as confidence building measures that can be built on and help improve the climate for discussions that are going on.
Q. Will you ensure us that no human catastrophe will be repeated in earthquake hit areas, because the organizations of the UN in Islamabad have warned us that if the funds were not available to them then they could not continue their efforts.
SG: When you say can I give you an assurance that there would not be another calamity, do you mean by that by nature or by man?
Q: A calamity due to cold and snowfall.
SG: We have talked about second and third waves, and I think this is what you're getting at. Efforts and attempts have been made to get supplies to those in mountainous areas who have not come down. I think both tents and food have been sent to them, we are trying to reach everyone concerned, and of course also making preparation for the fact that some of them may come down as the weather gets colder. One should be prepared to receive and assist them when they come, so plans are afoot and I hope that they will be adequate to deal with the 200,000 or so estimated to be still up in the mountains.
Q: Tomorrow's conference: what do you think the consequences will be if the international community fails to come up to the expectations of Pakistan's and your expectations, where do you go from there and what do you think would be the outcome for Pakistan? Thank you.
SG: Well, I think that if we do not hit our target tomorrow, we need to keep trying, we have to keep pressing donor governments, private sector and individuals to try harder. I don't think we can cross our arms and sit back and relax because we've made one attempt and didn't get all we wanted. I hope the results will be respectable tomorrow, and if we don't achieve our target we have to keep pressing.
Q: What kind of auditing mechanisms would you like to see the Government of Pakistan put in place to use this donor money for reconstruction, and would you like it that they are subject to Parliament's scrutiny?
SG: I think the President this morning answered this question when we visited the affected areas and indicated that they have set up an effective mechanism to track and control expenditure and that it will be audited by an international auditing firm. And he assured the public and donors that every dollar will be accounted for and the money will reach those intended to receive it. He indicated that they have set up effective accounting and auditing mechanisms.
Q: Are you satisfied that all agencies working for the relief of the affectees, they are working in a coordinated effort or is it going on haphazardly?
SG: I think the coordination is fine, I met them in the field today. I was also briefed directly by the army and the international organizations and the NGOs operating in the area. Both groups gave me the same assessment and I could tell that the coordination is moving well. All the helicopters are running as a fleet, whether it's Pakistani, UN, NATO or fleets from other governments. And on the question of distribution and supply, they are well coordinated. And coordination, as I said, is key in these operations and, of course, sometimes it takes time to establish really smooth and effective coordination.
Q: When Pakistan is a frontline state against terrorism is it not true that at this time of huge calamity it should get the maximum possible help. Would you like to all these states to come forward with maximum aid to Pakistan?
SG: I have made that appeal many times, and I made it earlier today. I do not think that assistance on humanitarian grounds should be conditioned on whether Pakistan is helping fight terrorists or not. We should deal with the humanitarian situation as it is and help the people in need. When it comes to saving lives, no conditions should be imposed.
Q: What are your plans for Pakistan rehabilitation and reconstruction?
SG: Just this afternoon I gave a copy of the plan that had been worked out with the Government, UNDP and the World Bank which just came off print to the Minister. And here is where tomorrow becomes important: because we are trying to raise money for recovery and reconstruction, the Government plan, is a Government document, the Government has ownership of the process. But the UN and other agencies and other governments can assist in implementing the programme and we will be very actively engaged in doing that.
In addition to that I will be appointing a Special Envoy to work with me on recovery and reconstruction following the earthquake, just as I appointed President Clinton to work with me on the tsunami-affected countries.
Q: You have talked about sending relief goods and tents to every part of the affected areas, but there is another issue of quality. There are some complaints of low quality tents. What mechanism would the UN to devise to ensure the quality of tents and other relief goods?
SG: Obviously, we would want to get the best quality goods and best quality items to everyone in need. Not only that, but we are working with the Government, and the Government is accelerating the process of reconstruction and intends to assist the people to rebuild their houses so that they can move into their own houses. I think the idea here is to try and resettle people as quickly as possible so that they don't stay in camps indefinitely. On the question of tents, this crisis hit suddenly, and in fact at one time, everyone was scrambling to get winterized tents for the region, and quite honestly there weren't enough winterized tents in the world to satisfy the needs that we had. Therefore, in some situations, orders were placed and they may have been tents were not optimal. But it was not for lack of will.
Q: Certainly the general impression, certainly in this part of the world, is that the initial response of the international donor community had been somewhat poor. Do you subscribe to the view and would you say it was because there have been so many disasters in the last couple of years or is it donor fatigue, or some other thing?
SG: I think there's no doubt that the donor response has been weak and tardy. When the tsunami struck, at the ten day point, we had 80 per cent of the money we needed. But in the case of Pakistan, at the ten day point we had 12 per cent. Today we had 30 per cent and with the tsunami we were oversubscribed, we got all the money that we needed. And of course the question is, why the difference? It could be partially donor fatigue, as you've said, because we've had a whole series of crises and this has been a particularly bad year for natural disasters. And of course, we must also remember that with the tsunami tourists were involved, there were tourists on the ground. About 50 countries lost their people and each of them sent videos home telling the story, reducing it to the human level, a child without a family, and this really struck a chord. I also suspect also that it was during Christmas, a time of giving, so people were quite generous. In fact when that happened, I challenged my own staff in the Humanitarian Coordination Unit to try and analyze how this spirit of solidarity and generosity was generated and how we can find a way of repeating it for other crises. Obviously we have not succeeded when you see what has happened now, but I think there are various reasons why the response has not been as high as I would have expected or liked.
Q: So do you see this as an historic opportunity going back to the question of Kashmir, for a breakthrough in the same way that the tsunami had an effect for Aceh?
SG: Yes, already we've seen some movement, opening up across the Line of Control and I know that the two governments are also in touch. And that's why I refer to these sorts of measures, working together on humanitarian issues can be a prelude to further confidence building that could lead to a thaw and to an improvement in relations and eventually accelerate the discussions.
Q: The universal values of equality, tolerance, and human dignity are in the UN Charter. How do you think the dream of all children having equal opportunities such as education and health, especially those affected by the recent earthquake can be made a reality?
SG: Well, I think, even before the earthquake the UN had put forward a plan to help ensure that each child will have at least primary education, clean water supplies, sanitation. We have eight goals, the MDGs, I am sure most people in this room are familiar with, and we believe that those basic requirements should be given to every child. Obviously, after the tsunami, and today I saw children –some had parents with them, others didn't know where their parents were, and I was quite pleased to see the efforts the Government has taken to put them in schools, set up rehabilitation centres for them, training young women and men to work with them on the trauma that they must have gone through, and the determination of the Government to rebuild schools, hospitals and ensure that these kids are given education and kept healthy.
Q: The Government of Pakistan is desperately seeking grants and soft loans, but it appears that the international financial institutions, they are not in a position to offer grants and soft loans. They say they do not have enough provisions for that. My question is, would you ask the donors to give grants so that Pakistan's budget and economic indicators are not hit?
SG: Most of the pledges, the money that we are seeking, will be grants. On the question of soft loans, I think we should wait for the international financial institutions to speak for themselves tomorrow. They will be here and let's wait and hear what they say.
Q: The Volcker report had a big echo in India, and the Indian Government has appointed a commission of inquiry. What is the coordination going to be like when this commission starts functioning, and how is UN going to coordinate with it?
SG: Difficult to give you a precise answer, but let me say that we and the Volcker Committee have indicated that we will cooperate with any government that wants to follow up the Volcker Report. But let me stress that the Volcker Report was a fact-finding report of an administrative nature, not a judicial one, and it's up to governments to determine what they want to do further to look into the facts and pursue it and, of course, if a government wants to do that, they need documentation from the Volcker Committee or the UN. We will cooperate. I don't think the Indian Committee has gone to New York yet, but I suspect that if they do, they will talk to Mr. Volcker, UN officials and the team, to discuss how they can cooperate and get the relevant documents needed.
Q: Are you satisfied with the relief effort that has so far been made, in an attempt to prevent the second or third wave we have been talking about?
SG: I think the figures, as they stand today, are about 73,000 dead and 80,000 wounded. The challenge is to ensure that we limit this to the extent possible and we don't have any further losses. From the discussions I've had with my team, the health team, World Health Organization and others, we seem to have avoided epidemics, either cholera or other diseases, that may have killed many more people. I think that if we maintain that effort we will be able to avoid much of the next wave. The other issue is the question of those who stay up in the mountains and do not come down when the snow comes. We need to try and get help to them and ensure that they are provided for, or encourage then to come down so that one would look after them.
Q: I think all the political and economic questions have been asked. A question on a personal level, today you visited all the earthquake [hit] area. What was the most poignant moment for you –something that really moved you?
SG: I think there were two moments. We visited two women with their children. One had lost the husband and the father-in-law, had one child with her, the two other children she didn't know where they were and was hoping that they would be found. Then we saw two other young people who had been orphaned –didn't know where their parents were - and you could see in their eyes the trauma, the pain, the sense of loss and bewilderment. The sorts of question most of would be asking ourselves: why me? Why did this happen? Where do I go from here? What next? And it was very moving knowing that these are young people at the beginning of their lives. And one of them apparently had just come out of university but completely lost as to what happens next?
But there were also hopeful signs. I saw tent schools with young people studying, sitting in the open with the blackboard with their teachers. I visited a rehabilitation centre where there was a very clean and well-organized kindergarten and other kids in other classrooms with the teachers trying to give them, not only the education they need, but also the psychological and moral support that they need. And from what I have gathered the Pakistani population has responded very generously and very actively after the earthquake, and I think they are also to be applauded, because in fact it is that sort of community spirit that will make it easier for us to resolve the challenges ahead. The international community can help but it is you, the people of Pakistan, who will have to do the heavy lifting.
Thank you very much.