UN envoy Clinton meets with UK relief agencies on ways to boost aid for tsunami recovery

The United Nations Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Bill Clinton met today with leading humanitarian agencies based in the United Kingdom for talks on how to speed up delivery of aid to the hardest-hit survivors of the 26 December tragedy.

Mr. Clinton and top officials from the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) – an umbrella group of 13 relief agencies – met in London to discuss how plans are now being drawn up to boost spending as the long-term impacts and local challenges of the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami become clearer.

"As we transition from relief to recovery it is imperative that local communities participate in the decision-making process and that the needs of families, and especially children, are at the heart of the recovery agenda," Mr. Clinton said during the meeting.

DEC chief Brenden Gromley said that the group was allocating a further 40 million pounds sterling to its member agencies working in the field, over and above the 112 million pounds it had allocated for emergency work from the 350 million pounds raised by its emergency appeal from the British public.

That emergency allocation is now being upped to some 150 million pounds in response to the relief agencies' expanded plans to rebuild housing, schools and clinics and other long-term reconstruction work over the next six months.