Aceh, Indonesia, 3 Desember 2006 - Completing a three-country tour of the tsunami affected region that also included Tamil Nadu, India and Phuket, Thailand, former U.S. President Bill Clinton this afternoon visited Aceh, Indonesia for the third and final time as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami recovery. The Special Envoy welcomed the substantial efforts that have been made to establish transitional living arrangements for those still waiting for permanent homes as well as progress in building permanent houses and schools. He also reiterated the need to make further progress on land titling efforts, as a key component of building back better in the recovery process. In addition, he took the opportunity to highlight the critical connection between political reconciliation in Aceh and the long-term sustainability of the recovery effort.
The tsunami of 24 December 2004 and subsequent March 2005 earthquake were exceptionally devastating in Aceh and Nias, killing an estimated 130,000, with another 37,000 still listed as missing. Over 500,000 people were displaced as a result of the two disasters. An estimated $6 billion is required for long term reconstruction, and donors and the Indonesian government have pledged to fully meet that need. Out of a requirement for 128,000 permanent homes, some 43,400 have now been rebuilt or repaired, and those still awaiting permanent homes are living in barracks, with host families, or in durable transitional shelters. Nearly all of 4,700 lost or destroyed boats have been replaced, and infrastructure rehabilitation is ongoing, with the repair of nearly half of the 3,000 kilometers of damaged or destroyed roads and the rebuilding or repair of 131 bridges.
During his tour, Special Envoy Clinton first visited a large barracks site, built by the government to house some 2,000 tsunami internally displaced people, including renters and squatters who did not have permanent homes before the tsunami struck. Conditions in the barracks have deteriorated over time, and local officials and the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) are actively monitoring conditions, and are working with international agencies to ensure adequate living conditions. Special Envoy Clinton stressed the importance of measures to meet the needs of vulnerable groups like renters and squatters, and welcomed efforts by the authorities to address both transitional and permanent housing requirements for these groups.
Special Envoy Clinton then visited a transitional shelter site run by the Australian Red Cross, which houses some 900 internally displaced persons. The Special Envoy has pressed for concerted efforts by the government and international partners to build durable transitional shelters for those displaced persons who had still been living in tents, estimated late last year to number as many as 70,000. Approximately 14,500 durable shelters have now been built, and there are only about 200 families still living in tents in Aceh. They will also soon be moved to transitional shelters.
The Special Envoy said, “I am extremely encouraged by the restoration of a sense of community among these tsunami survivors. This is a vast improvement over living conditions in tents. The shelter plan is an innovative and extraordinary response by a coalition of willing international partners and the government, and will provide good lessons for future disasters.”
Special EnvoyClinton then visited a new primary school for a community that lost 232 students and 15 teachers in the tsunami. The original school building was completely destroyed. Today 76 students are enrolled in the new school, whose construction is part of a region-wide effort at school rehabilitation. In all, the tsunami destroyed or damaged 2,135 schools and killed 40,900 students and 2,500 education staff. Some 4,800 teachers have now been trained, and close to 700 permanent schools have been built or are under construction -- out of an estimated need of 1,500.
Special Envoy Clinton visited permanent homes built by UPLINK, a national NGO umbrella organization, where he met with several new homeowners. Commenting on the project, the Special Envoy said, “These homes underscore the critical role of local NGOs in recovery, and progress in permanent home rebuilding efforts.” He also noted the importance of security of tenure for home owners, and stressed the need to expedite the distribution of land certificates to new homeowners. “Officials must remove backlogs and speed up the land titling process, so that hundreds of thousands of Acehnese obtain the security of title that they so deserve,” he added.
The Reconstruction of Aceh Land Administration System Project (RALAS), which is funded by the World Bank-administered Multi Donor Fund (MDF), aims to provide documents providing legal title to approximately 600,000 land owners in Aceh and Nias over a three year period.
Special Envoy Clinton finished his visitwith a brief meeting with several representatives of the Aceh peace process, including local government officials and former Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM) combatants. During that meeting he emphasized that political reconciliation is the key enabler for successful recovery and praised all Acehnese for their strong commitment to peace. He encouraged them to sustain this commitment in the months and years after Aceh’s first local elections, scheduled for 11 December 2006.
In his remarks, Special Envoy Clinton said “I can think of no more powerful illustration of building back better than a durable peace settlement. So much has been accomplished in 23 short months. But we can’t look away. Keeping the peace is always harder than getting to peace and you will face formidable challenges after December 11. I hope and trust that you will be inspired by the memory of the victims of both the conflict and the tsunami, and sustain the momentum that has already been generated by the remarkable events in the period following the tsunami.”
Special Envoy Clinton, who will wrap up his tenure as UN Special Envoy at the year’s end, is on a multi-country tour of Asia and Southeast Asia to visit sites affected by the tsunami and to tour locations where the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) operates. (For information on the HIV/AIDS-focused activities and country visits on the schedule, please contact the Clinton Foundation press office, at +1-212-348-0360.)
For further information please contact
David Singh, Communication Officer
Office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery
Tel: +1 212 906-6904/Mobile: +1 917 345-4374/Fax: +1 212 906-3606
Email: david.singh@undp.org
www.tsunamispecialenvoy.org