The European Commission has disbursed €6 million in humanitarian aid to help the populations of South and South-East Asia to increase their ability to respond to the natural disasters that occur frequently in this part of the world, the institution announced on Thursday 2 August.
The money comes from the budget of ECHO (the Commission's humanitarian aid and civil protection service) under the disaster preparedness and risk reduction programme (DIPECHO).
Cyclones, floods, landslides and earthquakes are very common in South Asia, not to mention monsoons. The aid will “strengthen the disaster preparedness initiatives already in place, while improving the livelihoods and resilience of those most affected,” the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said in a press release.
€2 million will go to Myanmar to build up the national response system against earthquakes and tsunamis.
€2 million is earmarked for Nepal to reinforce local capacity and increase the resilience of the most vulnerable communities in areas affected by earthquakes.
€1 million will help support the implementation of initiatives in the Philippines to help the populations of the most hazard-prone urban areas.
The remaining €1 million will support initiatives throughout the South Asia region, including Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)