tsunami

UN-backed tsunami early warning system readies communications upgrade

18 October 2005
Stepping up efforts to mitigate disasters such as last December’s Indian Ocean tsunami, the United Nations meteorological agency is hosting a meeting of experts to finalize plans for upgrading communications in some of the most vulnerable countries, where five minutes can make the difference between life and mass deaths.

More housing needed to help tsunami victims, UN relief coordinator says

17 October 2005
Following a visit to the tsunami-affected region of Indonesia, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has praised efforts to feed, clothe and house the victims of the disaster while cautioning that more permanent housing will be needed before the impending rainy season.

UNICEF starts first of 500 schools in tsunami-battered area of Indonesia

29 September 2005
Workmen have started to dig the foundations for the first two of the 500 permanent schools that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will either build or repair in the tsunami-devastated Aceh and North Sumatra areas of Indonesia in a $90 million project.

UN, Thailand launch trust fund for Indian Ocean tsunami early warning system

26 September 2005
A trust fund to help establish a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean region got under way today with a $10 million contribution from the Government of Thailand, with the aim of preventing a repetition of last December's disaster, a United Nations regional commission announced
Former US President Bill Clinton

UN envoy Clinton’s tsunami group endorses stepped-up recovery plans

22 September 2005
Convened by former United States President Bill Clinton, the United Nations tsunami recovery envoy, key players in the reconstruction of areas devastated by last year’s giant waves today endorsed stepped-up measures to improve transitional shelters, replace livelihoods and build local government capacity.
Homeless migrants

Migrants in tsunami-hit Thai regions need more access to health services, says UN study

31 August 2005
Migrants living in areas affected by last year's tsunami need better access to maternal and child health services, family planning and information on preventing HIV infection, according to a United Nations-sponsored study.

UN tsunami chief to assess recovery effort in Sri Lanka and Indonesia

30 August 2005
The United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Eric Schwartz will travel to Sri Lanka and Indonesia tomorrow on a 10-day fact-finding mission to see the impact of last December’s tsunami on people’s lives and to gauge the progress of the recovery.

UNICEF thanks Association of Tennis Professionals for tsunami aid

29 August 2005
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has presented a plaque to World No. 1 tennis player Roger Federer in appreciation for the efforts of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) to raise money for relief programmes after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck last December.

Despite progress, women’s health faces challenges in tsunami-hit countries – UN

22 August 2005
Less than half of the monies committed for women’s reproductive health, safety and equality in parts of South Asia devastated by the tsunami last December have been used, according to a six-month progress report issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

New UN-sponsored project launched to help Maldives recover from tsunami

17 August 2005
In yet another United Nations-coordinated effort to promote recovery in the countries devastated by last December’s Indian Ocean tsunami, the Government of Maldives has launched a project financed by the Government of China that will provide $500,000 to rehabilitate two remote islands.