Ireland's response to the Asian tsunami a year ago was exceptional, the Government's special envoy on the disaster said today.
Chris Flood said the reaction by non-governmental organisations was outstanding, and the Government had committed sufficient resources to aid the recovery process.
But Mr Flood, who visited the stricken region three times in the last year to monitor the aftermath of the tragedy, said there needed to be a more co-ordinated response to large scale disasters by the international community.
He said there were still a number of outstanding issues, such as land rights and difficulties in conflict zones, which were affecting rebuilding, while the psychological trauma would remain for many years.
Mr Flood made a number of recommendations in his final report on the tsunami including that Ireland should continue to support the UN's role in co-ordinating relief efforts and the public, NGOs and Government should all work towards a much more co-ordinated response.
In addition, he called for support for multi-donor trust funds for future emergencies, a register ponse to emergencies.
He also said charities legislation should be introduced to reassure donors their cash was being properly spent, and limited engagement by Irish army experts should be examined.
of people with skills who could be called on for their help and disaster risk reduction measures.
Mr Flood said the response by NGOs was outstanding. "They raised 80 million euro, which I think is a tremendous response by the Irish people and I believe it was based on the credibility of the Irish NGOs," he said.
"I don't believe the Irish Government needs to commit further resources, but I do think it's important to continue to evaluate and monitor the situation into the next year as it's a 10-year process to bring the efforts to their conclusion."
Welcoming the report, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the Government intended to implement a rapid response unit - to be phased in from next year - and introduce a volunteer corps.
"This report, more than any other report, will feed into the policies we're looking at in order to continue the tremendous response Irish people have given to disasters around the world," he said.
Among the policies, the minister said, were plans for a volunteer corps and a database of civilians with special skills, as well as encouraging the EU to work more closely and effectively as a single organisation in its reaction to emergencies.
"We're looking at a volunteer corps in order to utilise what's out there in the public - a huge interest and a huge desire to become involved in helping the Third World," he said. The report was also welcomed by Minister of State for Overseas Aid Conor Lenihan at its launch today.
PA