Brussels, 12/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The management of natural disasters and their consequences for the most vulnerable people were at the centre of talks held in Burma/Myanmar last weekend by Kristalina Georgieva, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, with representatives of the government and the humanitarian organisations which work with the European Commission on the ground. Georgieva also became the first European commissioner to be received by the regime's opponent, Daw Aung San Suu Kui.
Georgieva stressed that the Commission was the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Burma/Myanmar, where a lot of people are vulnerable to natural disasters and conflicts. This, she explained, is why “we need assurances that humanitarian agencies have full access to those who need relief and that the authorities are working to improve the population's resilience to disasters”. The discussions she held with the ministers, with Daw Aung Suu San Kui and with representatives of humanitarian organisations gave her hope that “we will be able to do more to tackle these challenges”. The commissioner welcomes the fact that “the authorities are willing to expand humanitarian access to more areas of Burma/Myanmar” and hopes to “see a tangible sign of this commitment soon, in the form of permissions for humanitarian experts to visit and work in the areas of substantial need”. Lastly, Georgieva said that she was delighted to have been able to present the European response to humanitarian challenges and disasters to Daw Aung Suu San Kui, “the voice of the most vulnerable people in Burma/Myanmar”. (O.L./transl.fl)