Campaign seeks global treaty on disaster assistance

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has started a global campaign to adopt a comprehensive treaty aimed at coordinating international assistance for disasters.

The IFRC announced the launch of the "Earth's Missing Treaty" campaign at a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

International assistance for disasters is currently provided on a regional level or based on bilateral and sectoral treaties. But such efforts often face problems of red tape such as customs clearance that delay the delivery of relief goods.

The need for a comprehensive global treaty has been discussed since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

At the news conference, IFRC officials referred to the recent disaster in Nepal. They noted that a global treaty would set clear rules for international disaster assistance and help governments and humanitarian organizations cut through red tape and act faster, ensuring assistance will reach people more quickly.

They said the draft treaty states that countries have a duty to prevent, mitigate and prepare for disasters, through appropriate measures such as installing early warning systems.

The officials said negotiations on the draft began in April and UN member countries have agreed to conclude the talks by the end of next year.