Irish aid agencies have called on the Government to ask the United Nations to establish a global watchdog to respond to humanitarian catastrophes like the Asian tsunami disaster.
Four Irish aid agencies gave progress reports to the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs today on how they were spending money donated by Irish people in the disaster zone.
But GOAL director Mr John O'Shea called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahern, to press the UN for an international agency to oversee emergency efforts in Asia and elsewhere.
"We are leaving it to governments to decide who gets the aid and who doesn't. There should be a watchdog from the West," he said. "We must ensure that every single human being has his life repaired and his livelihood restored. Otherwise all our work will be a failure."
Committee member Senator David Norris said: "Minister Dermot Ahern should seek the right to address the UN Security Council on the need for an unified international response." The senator also urged all governments to honour their aid pledges and not to renege on them as had happened in the past.
Concern head Mr Tom Arnold warned about the "militarisation of aid" and cautioned that "governments who have an agenda will exploit that".
All aid agencies expressed concern that the Indonesian government was restricting access into its country and that some remote communities weren't getting assistance they required.
Mr O'Shea said his aid workers had been warned in recent days that the Indonesian army would begin attacking convoys in the guise of rebels if he didn't leave the country. The GOAL head also warned about the danger of aid and money being siphoned away from needy areas by selfish authorities.
"In my experience, corruption and bureaucracy comes out of the sky as soon as vast amounts of money is being distributed," he said.
Irish Red Cross chairman Mr David Andrews confirmed that it had received €13.5 milion to date in public donations. He warned about local political tensions interfering with adequate aid distribution.
"We must ensure that every victim of the disaster gets the assistance they need," he said.