The 2004 tsunami, which caused such death and destruction, has taught Irish Aid valuable lessons, writes Conor Lenihan
Two years ago, the morning of December 26th 2004 saw a sequence of events which devastated countless communities and shocked the entire world.
In the space of a few short hours, more than 228,000 people lost their lives as a result of a tsunami which affected 13 different countries and left close to three million people struggling to comprehend the scale of their enormous personal grief and loss.
Ireland did not escape. Four young Irish holidaymakers - Lucy Coyle, Éilís Finnegan, Connor Keightley and Michael Murphy - died in the tsunami in Thailand. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends on the second anniversary of their passing.
The global response to the disaster was unprecedented. Initially, vital life-saving search-and-rescue activities were carried out by surviving family members, neighbours and holidaymakers.
Within hours of the tragic event, word of the disaster had spread and distressing images of it were being beamed into homes around the world. Governments were galvanised into action and emergency response plans were rolled out.
Within days, international resources and humanitarian relief workers began to arrive, adding to the massive collective response.
Hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world donated money, while thousands more boarded planes to travel to the affected regions to assist with relief and recovery. Recorded contributions to the relief effort exceeded €13.5 billion.
It has not been possible to calculate the total value of informal contributions such as remittances, donations from families and neighbours, and the food, shelter and care which was provided by thousands of families and by church and community groups.
Ireland alone contributed in excess of €100 million to the tsunami appeal. This comprised €20 million in official Government funding, while the balance was made up of private contributions to NGOs such as Concern, Goal, Trócaire and the Irish Red Cross. This placed Ireland among the most generous nations in the world, a fact of which I am justifiably proud.
Two years on from the event, the process of recovery continues. There have been many successful projects and much has been achieved. However, much still remains to be done: the harsh reality is that 70 per cent of tsunami-affected people in India still live in temporary shelters.
In the Indonesian province of Aceh, approximately 50,000 houses have been rebuilt - itself a major achievement. However, the number of houses needed is, in fact, 128,000. In Sri Lanka, renewed conflict has added difficulty to the lives of those who survived.
The fact that needs remain is not an indication of a failed response; rather, it has taught us just how difficult, complex and protracted the process of reconstruction can be. From the scale of the physical and human devastation, it was clear from the outset that recovery would not happen overnight.
Responding to humanitarian crises is a difficult and complex process. Sticking-plaster relief is not a means to a comprehensive recovery.
The tsunami response has provided as many examples of how not to respond as it has been a show-case for good practice.
In monitoring the progress of Irish Aid's programme, we repeatedly noted the sterling work of agencies which were experienced in humanitarian action and had been working in the affected countries before the disaster.
Because of the knowledge and understanding these agencies had of the communities which were affected and of the capacities of local communities and administrations to respond, they were able to design and implement responses which worked and which were able to complement local efforts.
They also avoided the pitfalls which were encountered by many newer and inexperienced agencies.
These agencies consulted with local communities. They provided the kind of aid that worked - cash grants, paying off debts and making micro-credit available to facilitate the re-establishment of sustainable and market-based enterprises.
We understand now more than ever that establishing and running good recovery programmes is complex and time-consuming.
Quality interventions require a high level of technical expertise as well as in-depth knowledge of and engagement with local economic, legal and social structures.
Major housing and infrastructure programmes take a lot of time. Complex legal issues - such as land reallocation and zoning, awarding of land and property titles and resolving inheritance issues - need to be dealt with before construction can be undertaken.
These lessons have been learned in the relatively well-off, middle-income states of Sri Lanka and Indonesia. But they apply all the more in extremely poor countries such as Sudan, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where decades of devastation have resulted not only in massive loss of human life, but in the erosion of administrative structures, physical infrastructure, legal and communications systems and health and education facilities.
All these effectively undermine the capacity of affected communities to recover.
Working with these communities therefore requires not only resources, but time and specialised support.
Irish Aid recognises this and commits itself to a long-term approach to crisis-recovery.
Our approach is pro-poor. We target the most vulnerable and prioritise provision of aid which ensures that people most at risk of disaster are supported in such a way that their vulnerability is reduced and their capacities to engage meaningfully in the process of growth are reinforced.
We owe a debt of honour to those who lost their lives in the tsunami and to those who survived.
Our commitment to improving the lives of the communities which were destroyed and to reducing the risk of future disasters is key to honouring that debt.
Conor Lenihan is Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs