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that the local administration chance than people who are up at 6 a.m.; the first engage- there. The country was in a
was going through. Even for not used to cold climates. ment is at 7:30 a.m. -- you very bad shape. There had
those of us who were coming would be busy until 10 p.m., been internal conflict and
from outside, it was You could say that people and you are not supposed to thousands of people were
emotionally challenging to began to recover from the leave the camp because there killed, and thousands more
see the suffering and the des- shock maybe three or four is no security, and basically became refugees and inter-
truction. So, for those who weeks after the earthquake. no place to go anyway. Of nally displaced. Since it's a
lived there and who knew the From the helicopter you could course, those who are called very remote place, nobody
people who had passed away, very often see people sitting disaster junkies! One has to cared too much. I think it was
they knew whose house it in the ruins of their houses understand that they are there very good that we went there
was, their neighbours -- the just doing nothing. They were to help other people! and raised awareness about
whole thing was in ruins. It is just sitting there looking at the I heard a lot of good things the situation. We launched the
very difficult! So people like rubble and could not believe from the Pakistanis in gene- programmes and the appeal
to say that it was chaos -- of that such a thing had happe- ral, not only the government for funds, so during the next
course, it was chaos! ned to them. It was such a officials but from people I 4-5 years they received a lot
huge shock! It takes some spoke with. They understand of support from various UN
Q: You talked about Barn time for human beings to this and told me: "You people agencies.
and Pakistan and absorb it, and then to start flew from New York, Rome
presume that you have rebuilding their lives. and Geneva and lived in this Q: What is the situation
seen other disasters. tent -- you could have forgot- like today?
How do you manage to The President of Pakistani ten all about it. It's not your
cope with it? Administered Kashmir told country, not your neighbours, Ah, it's much better. The first
me that a lot of people had not your relatives." So, I think time I went there, tanks were
Quite frankly, I do not know. been telling him that they had the local population was very in the streets. The last time I
Perhaps your skin becomes thought it had been the end of grateful. went there, in 2003, you
thicker. Maybe, the feeling the world. This is how it is would find economic activity
that you know that you can do written in the Holy Book -- You could never expect the picking up on. I'm not saying
something about it helps you. that there would be a huge affected population to be that everything is fine; it may
If you know that you can do noise, mountains would move entirely happy, no matter how take some time before every-
thing is fully back to normal.
assistance
nothing about it, it's far more and there would be great des- much
was
difficult. truction, and you will be provided. They are going
killed! And for more than 70 through a terrible ordeal. To Our task is to help people
Q: So you just pull up 000 people it was indeed the become a displaced person is survive, to reduce their
your sleeves and do it? end of the world! a very big deal, and no matter suffering and to help them to
how little you had, it's no get back on their feet. They
Yes, I remember at some Q: It is very difficult for longer there. Your kitchen is received a lot of support from
point in Pakistan I gave an us to imagine what it is not there, the place you used donors, the World Bank, etc.,
interview to a news agency like to be in this kind of to live -- it is no longer there, and I think our action was
and somebody called me situation. Everybody felt your children cannot go to very much appreciated by the
from HQ to tell me: "Why on very concerned when the school. On the top of that, if government. All the refugees
earth did you say that?" I Tsunami struck. Do you somebody in your family was have returned from
replied that if we do not mobi- think that the general killed, the survivors cannot be Afghanistan.
lize all the assistance now, the public felt less concer- happy, no matter how much
second wave might be even ned about the Pakistan food and water, and how Q: Do you have a
worse than the earthquake earthquake? many tents you may provide. message for the interna-
itself because people might be They cannot be happy, and tional community in
dying during the winter. "So You know, at a certain point one should not expect them to Geneva?
we need to help them now." when I was in Pakistan, I was be! They will say "thank you
Some people did not believe thinking about inviting some very much" for everything, No matter how much we do,
that this was true -- these are of the harshest critics at the but they will still not be we still have to understand
sturdy mountain people; they UN to come and visit us in happy. that there are still a lot of
are used to living in the that camp to see the commit- people out there who are not
mountains in these kinds of ment of staff. Instead of living Q: Looking back at your receiving assistance in times
weather conditions. Of course in pretty good conditions in career, which operation of crisis. I am not sure that we
they are, but they are not used their respective duty stations do you think has been will be able to reach all of
to living without shelter. in New York, Geneva and the most gratifying? them, but I think we should
When they know that winter Rome, they came to this try together, and this is the
is coming, they prepare for it. place, with about ten people Certainly, the experience with place it should go from.
But now, all of a sudden there living in one tent with no par- the earthquake in South Asia. Geneva is the Humanitarian
is no food, no shelter. How titions. We started to get sho- I would also say that in 1996, Capital of the World!
can you say that they are stur- wers with hot water after ten I was with the UN team that
dy, and that they will survive? days, but it was not available went to Tajikistan to launch
Probably they have a better 24 hours per day. You wake humanitarian programme
1 2009 Diva 9

v a 1 n t e ii a t i on at