Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-17-Speech-4-188"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051117.21.4-188"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak briefly on what has been an appalling tragedy in north-western Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and predominantly the Kashmir region.
The devastation caused by the earthquake is hard to comprehend, even after seeing repeated pictures of the suffering on our media screens and newspapers. The last 12 months has seen so many tragedies and natural disasters that have hit parts of the world: tsunamis, drought, mudslides, floods, repeated hurricanes, typhoons and now an earthquake. It is difficult to keep a focus and priority on the need for generosity and rapid relief, as we almost become conditioned to natural disaster after natural disaster.
In the immediate term, the need to assemble aid and coordinate its distribution is fundamental, particularly in inaccessible parts of the disaster zones. Tens of thousands are still without shelter in inaccessible parts of Pakistan and Kashmir, and the freezing temperatures of winter are approaching. The politics of this region must be put aside in an effort to save lives, and this motion welcomes the coordination and opening of new routes between India-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistan side.
We fully support an immediate and generous response to the call by the UN for donors to contribute more than half a billion dollars in emergency aid, much of which has not materialised yet.
I hope the Commission will be able to make further funds available during budgetary discussions next week. Related to this motion, I believe the EU needs to show some initiative in encouraging the international community to plan for and prepare for natural disasters in the future. The reality is that natural disasters in many cases are predictable. We know the likely areas where hurricanes will strike next year and where earthquakes may strike, and we need to concentrate on building regional capacity in those regions rather than the kind of dramatic aid efforts that we are now involved in. So we need longer-term and future planning as well as the immediate aid requirements."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples