Tsunami Report Calls for Accreditation of Charities

Trouble is, this huge, collaborative effort at evaulation of the tsunami response received scant attention in the US. 

The New York Times made an oblique reference to a report about the tsunami response, mainly to note that the forward written by a local resident (Bill Clinton). 

But the real report is worth a read (say, at the beach).  ("Joint evaluation of the international response to the Indian Ocean tsunami: Synthesis Report," Full report 175 pages PDF 918Kb, Executive summary 9 pages 92Kb).

Charities come in for serious criticism in the report, both for their lack of coordination and their often self-serving agendas.  The proliferation of agencies is discussed starting on page 55 of the full report, with a chart showing that the number of international NGOs operating in Banda Aceh alone peaked at over 160 agencies, not counting the numerous groups that showed up with a single donation.  There were 22 medical agencies, 95 groups working on shelter, 60 in education,

• competing for the same limited local infrastucture (like hotel rooms),
• each trying to survey and assess local residents,
• many competing for the high profile interventions
• many supplying inappropriate aid and bringing in inexperienced workers

And yet, the real work was done by a handful of agencies.  Coordination was poor, the report says, because the huge funding for tsunami efforts meant that the players had no need to develop common service, there was no funding for coordination, some of the UN personnel had limited skills (at meeting management, for instance), and there was little effort made to stop the flow of inappropriate aid clogging logistics channels. 

The recommendation of the report for greater reliance on local efforts and building local capacity to respond is a good idea, but not likely to be implemented. 

But the recommendation for international accreditation of agencies shows promise as a reform that would make a difference.  If such a system could be coupled with a robust system of independent audit, we might have a formula for disaster response that would cost less and achieve more. 

A better system for coordinating donations would also be helpful, to even out the huge disparities that result from media response. 

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ティンバーランド堺市北区の象印マホービン元副社長、尾崎宗秀さん（８４）が自宅で襲われ殺害された事件で、尾崎さんが発見される約２時間前、自宅周辺を黒の原付きバイクで往復する不審な男が目撃されていたことが、捜査関係者への取材で分かった。数日前から近所の複数の住民らも目撃しており、大阪府警はこの男が尾崎さん殺害に関与したとみている。

　ティンバーランド捜査関係者によると、尾崎さんは１日午前１０時２０分ごろ、自宅２階の納戸で顔を粘着テープなどで巻かれ、両手足を結束バンドで縛られた状態で発見された。目撃情報は午前８時前後で、通行人が尾崎さん方の周りを走る不審なバイクの男を見ていた。男は黒っぽい服装で、ヘルメットをかぶっていたという。