16July, Beijing - The United Nations launched today a US$33.5 million UN China Appeal for Early Recovery Support to assist victims of the devastating Wenchuan earthquake that hit China on 12 May, killing nearly 70,000 people, injuring hundreds of thousands and leaving over five million people homeless.

"It is the hope of the United Nations and the international community that China will quickly recover from this enormous tragedy and through this Appeal we extend all our support and assistance," said Khalid Malik, the UN Resident Coordinator in China.

The disaster not only devastated lives and livelihoods, but also destroyed services and infrastructure. In Sichuan and neighbouring Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, an estimated five million buildings collapsed, 21 million buildings were damaged and over 40 million people were affected by the earthquake.

According to the Chinese Government, reconstruction could take as long as three years during which permanent structures must be rebuilt, livelihoods and basic services restored, collapsed schools and hospitals reconstructed and roads repaired.

The UN Appeal addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable among the affected population, who while surviving the 8.0 magnitude earthquake, are now in the process of rebuilding their lives.

The Appeal focuses on nine sectors (shelter; health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS; water and sanitation; protection of vulnerable groups; education; livelihoods; environment; ethnic minorities and coordination and communication) which address the needs of the survivors who have received basic assistance but will require more comprehensive aid over the next six months as reconstruction gets underway and before winter sets in.
The UN has already provided over US$17 million in assistance, of which US$8 million came from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in humanitarian relief immediately after the earthquake.

Before the earthquake Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi were ranked as among the poorest provinces in China. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, an additional 10 million people saw their lives pushed below the poverty line after the earthquake.

The UN China Appeal, which is supported by the Chinese Government, is a strong testimony of putting people first as well as the desire to work with the international community for the early recovery and reconstruction of the earthquake-affected areas.

The UN had numerous development projects in the affected areas prior to the earthquake. While these will continue and many are redirecting assistance to victims of the earthquake, there is concern that development has been set back as a result of the disaster.

"The UN will do everything it can to help the survivors meet their needs, with the aim to help them rebuild their lives and communities as soon as possible," added Malik.
The UN has considerable experience in disaster relief, recovery and reconstruction, and is already using the lessons learned from major disasters like the Pakistan earthquake in 2005 and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 to assist China in its recovery from this tragedy.

On July 15, the United Nations concluded a two-day international workshop on post-disaster reconstruction practices. Co-hosted with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the meeting brought together leading experts from around the world who shared their own experiences and lessons learned in recovering from disasters in their own countries.
Following the early recovery assistance provided through this Appeal, the United Nations is planning a longer-term reconstruction programme with its Chinese Government counterparts.

(Source: Chinadaily.com.cn)