The Geneva Forum on Social Change (GFSC)•Written by William T. Dowell• ••Thursday•, 18 •June• 2009 16:23•
There is not much that anyone can do to prevent a tropical cyclone or an earthquake, but a lot can be done to reduce the impact on people. “What kills is the vulnerability of the population,” says Margareta Wahlstrom, UN Assistant Secretary General and Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. That was the key message at this week’s four day conference on the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which attracted some 1800 participants. There is little question that disasters are becoming a growth industry. 300 natural disasters last year. The death toll was nearly a quarter of a million people killed and 200 million affected. The bill for damages added up to roughly $180 billion. Not only are natural disasters more numerous, they are also increasing in intensity. The UN’s International Strategic Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction (ISDR), which coordinated the 4-day meeting here in Geneva, wants some of the funding currently earmarked for disaster relief and development programs to be shifted into preparedness. The platform’s theme this year is: “Invest today for a safer tomorrow.” 
Geneva -- The record rise in expenditure of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for its humanitarian interventions around the world in 2008 clearly reflects the increasing vulnerability among millions of civilians affected by conflict and disaster. The impressive – if not shocking – array of facts and figures outlined in its just released 2008 Annual Report also underscores the exceptional food, medical and shelter relief provided by the Geneva-based organization for affected populations throughout such crisis zones, but also – an ICRC specialty – visiting detainees in 83 different countries. What the report does not convey, however, is that many of these operations are little more than bandaid substitutes for political failure by the international community. The collapse of mediation efforts in Sri Lanka and Somalia, but also the mixing of agendas by the United States, Europe and other players leading to increased insecurity in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are among the most blatant examples of such failure today.
Hundreds of independent consultants and recently hired full-time staffers working for the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) are becoming increasingly frustrated if not outraged by the ongoing delays with contracts, payments, salaries, school fees and holiday reimbursements, some of which date back more than a year. A few, too, are facing severe cash flow difficulties, a situation not helped by the current financial crisis. Many working for UNAIDS, the UN agency dealing with HIV/AIDS and whose administrative procedures are run by WHO, are also affected. The bulk of these payment problems have been caused largely by WHO’s decision to implement – too hastily it appears - its new Global Management System (GSM), including the transfer of most of its accounts operations to Kuala Lumpur, ostensibly to save money.