Asia/Pacific: Nature has been showing its destructive power (John Holmes)
404 views · Published 1 October 2009 · 14:19 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: United Nations · 2009 · News & Politics
United Nations, New York, 1 October 2009 - UN teams have now arrived in Indonesia and Samoa to help those countries cope with recent devastating natural disasters. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) says it is rapidly expanding its relief operation in the Philippines in the aftermath of last Saturday's crippling tropical storm. In a statement today, WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said, When nature strikes with such force, the world must come together. And the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koïchiro Matsuura, has stressed that national authorities must maintain and constantly improve their communications and warning systems to help protect vulnerable coastal populations. Our guest at the noon briefing today will be Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes. He'll brief you on the earthquakes, tsunamis and storms that have recently hit Asia and the Pacific -- and on what the UN is doing to help.
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