Sunday, 11 September 2011 08:56 Mizzima News
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon on Saturday to discuss issues related to humanitarian aid for Burma following meetings with government officials.
Kristalina Georgieva visited Burma to meet with government ministers and other stakeholders including the secretary-general of the National League for Democracy to discuss issues related to European Commission-funded humanitarian aid, according to a press release issued by the European Commission.
"The Commission is a large donor of humanitarian assistance in Burma, where a lot of people are vulnerable to earthquakes, cyclones and foods, conflict and poverty,” Commissioner Georgieva said. “Because of these risks, we need assurances that humanitarian agencies have full access to those who need relief and that the authorities are working to improve the population’s resilience to disasters. My discussions with ministers, with Daw Aung San Suu Kui and with humanitarian partners give me hope that we will be able to do more to tackle these challenges,” she explained.
According to a press release from the Burma Campaign UK, the Commissioner met with the Minister of Border Affairs, the Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Georgieva presented the policy framework through which the European Union can support countries struck by disasters and stressed the need to boost disaster resilience in Burma, including with EU investment. She also highlighted the need to improve humanitarian access to the communities affected by conflict, particularly in border areas. She underlined that the Commission is eager to continue its substantial humanitarian support in the country, provided that its humanitarian partners get better access to the people in need so that they can assess their needs and deliver relief, according to the press release.
Following her brief trip to Burma, the commissioner was due to fly to Bangkok to discuss with representatives of the Thai government the ongoing humanitarian assistance to refugees from Burma living in nine camps along the border between Thailand and Burma.
This is the commissioner’s second visit to Southeast Asia this year, after having visited Thailand in March, the statement said.
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) has been providing funding for humanitarian aid in Burma and the refugees in the camps. The funding to date for 2011 totals about 23 million Euros.
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon on Saturday to discuss issues related to humanitarian aid for Burma following meetings with government officials.
Kristalina Georgieva visited Burma to meet with government ministers and other stakeholders including the secretary-general of the National League for Democracy to discuss issues related to European Commission-funded humanitarian aid, according to a press release issued by the European Commission.
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| Kristalina Georgieva, centre, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, meets with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her house in Rangoon on Saturday, September 10, 2011. Photo: Mizzima |
"The Commission is a large donor of humanitarian assistance in Burma, where a lot of people are vulnerable to earthquakes, cyclones and foods, conflict and poverty,” Commissioner Georgieva said. “Because of these risks, we need assurances that humanitarian agencies have full access to those who need relief and that the authorities are working to improve the population’s resilience to disasters. My discussions with ministers, with Daw Aung San Suu Kui and with humanitarian partners give me hope that we will be able to do more to tackle these challenges,” she explained.
According to a press release from the Burma Campaign UK, the Commissioner met with the Minister of Border Affairs, the Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Georgieva presented the policy framework through which the European Union can support countries struck by disasters and stressed the need to boost disaster resilience in Burma, including with EU investment. She also highlighted the need to improve humanitarian access to the communities affected by conflict, particularly in border areas. She underlined that the Commission is eager to continue its substantial humanitarian support in the country, provided that its humanitarian partners get better access to the people in need so that they can assess their needs and deliver relief, according to the press release.
Following her brief trip to Burma, the commissioner was due to fly to Bangkok to discuss with representatives of the Thai government the ongoing humanitarian assistance to refugees from Burma living in nine camps along the border between Thailand and Burma.
This is the commissioner’s second visit to Southeast Asia this year, after having visited Thailand in March, the statement said.
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) has been providing funding for humanitarian aid in Burma and the refugees in the camps. The funding to date for 2011 totals about 23 million Euros.
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