Agencies 'holding up' Vanuatu disaster response

The deputy chair of Vanuatu's natural disaster committee has launched a stinging attack on NGO's in the cyclone-struck nation, saying they have held up the response and only want visibility.

Benjamin Shing, a policy expert from the Prime Minister's office told a press conference in Port Vila last night that the government has spent the last three days co-ordinating the more than 100 agencies instead of working on getting relief to needy areas.

"I'm not trying to be controversial. But it is a fact. Everyone wants visibility. They want to place a sign on it say, 'we did this.'"

Shing said the same thing happened time and time again all over the world. The agencies flew in and refused to confirm to government directions. He said it was not a humanitarian way to behave.

In Vanuatu's case, they were trying to do a needs assessment by survey, but many if the NGO's had already done their own surveys. It would have been better if they had come to government and found what was needed first, he said.

"Then precious time could have been spent on co-ordination."

He said if the NGOs had worked with government, they could have finished the assessment by now. Instead, teams were still to land on some islands and a plan was not finalised.

Aid had yet to be distributed. Despite arriving from countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

Asked if the NGO's worked that way because they had the experience, Shing pointed to the Solomon's and Haiti of examples where it had gone wrong.

He said it was "not efficient".

Unicef's Patrick Rose denied that the aid agency was simply there for publicity.

"We're there to help people. It's not about visibility."

He said in the last couple of days the media had been asking NGO's and the government some awkward questions about where the aid was, and why it was not being distributed faster.

But it wasn't a case of handing things out willy-nilly - which could create inequality and chaos, he said.

"In these extreme situations people get impatient and the cracks start to show. We need to keep focused on the real goal of getting aid distributed to the people who need it."

He said the organisation worked closely with the government, as did other aid organisations.

"The government, the media and the people who are struggling with basic needs may be impatient with the pace of things but this is the way that it has to be done," Mr Rose said.

He added that Unicef was not operating as an NGO, but as a government relief agency.

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