January 4, 2010
DARA has sent a team of experts to Haiti to provide technical assistance to the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID in its Spanish acronym) in its EU Presidency commitment to contribute to the coordination of the Union’s on the ground response with the rest of the humanitarian system and Haiti´s local government.
In the aftermath of the earthquake which struck Haiti on January 12, Ross Mountain, Silvia Hidalgo, Joel Boutroue, Ricardo Solé and Soledad Posada from DARA will contribute to the EU Presidency’s efforts to maximize the efficiency of aid.
Haiti earthquake, January 2010
“We welcome the Spanish government’s commitment to put humanitarian issues at the forefront of the EU’s agenda, and ask that it exercise its leadership to make sure that the EU brings a common vision and approach to aid efforts in Haiti,” said DARA Director Ross Mountain, who is heading the DARA team.
The objective of this mission is to contribute to the coordination of the EU response, supporting the leading role of the UN and local authorities. It will involve both human and material resources, alongside mechanisms to link with the coordination systems and stakeholders working in the field. The mission will carry out needs assessments, share information and point out gaps and bottlenecks.
“We will work to make sure that through cooperation among actors on the ground, and in consultation with Haitian authorities, we can help the EU be as effective as possible in its relief efforts,” added Mountain.
In past evaluations, particularly during the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition (TEC) and in Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) missions to Haiti, DARA reported that a lack of coordination between donors caused confusion, delays in aid delivery as well as the duplication of efforts.
“Effective coordination will ensure an adequate, effective, equitable and flexible allocation of aid,” stressed Mountain. “To achieve this, those who are allocating aid must apply a rigorous approach to needs assessments, both at the global and at the local level. ”
Click here for DARA’s statement
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