Arriving in Geneva to chair a meeting on disaster mitigation, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today announced the launch of a "first of its kind" website to track funds pledged to the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, while urging that more attention be given to the world's neglected humanitarian emergencies.

Experts attending a United Nations-sponsored conference examining the response to the Indian Ocean tsunami have called for a future disaster preparedness agenda that focuses more on health and psychological trauma, cuts down on duplication of tasks, and ensures greater civilian-military coordination.

Experts attending a United Nations-sponsored conference on the health aspects of the South Asian tsunami today said that the lack of information and the poor quality of DNA samples shipped from tsunami-ravaged areas slows the ongoing process of identifying victims.