Remarks by UN Deputy Special Coordinator, James W. Rawley

In his remarks to the workshop on “Developing National Disaster Inventory Management System – Disaster Losses Database”, the Humanitarian Coordinator Mr James W Rawley, commended the responses mounted by the Palestinian authorities, in particular the Palestinian Civil Defense. He also paid tribute to the important role played by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society supported by IFRC, the UN and national and international NGOs, all of which responded to the needs of 12,000 people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip affected by the winter storm in January this year. Mr Rawley also stated that while parts of the Disaster Risk Reduction framework are critical to the humanitarian agenda, they also require a longer-term development approach.