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National Humanitarian
Coordination no. 3 |
NATIONAL HUMANITARIAN COORDINATION
(NHC) RECORD
3rd Coordination meeting, 26th of July 2001, Skopje
Present
- Governmental institutions: Boge Cadinoski, Ministry
of Labor and Social Policy; Flora Latifi, President's Cabinet; Petar
Dimovski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Saso Kuzmanovski, Ministry of
Defense; Sami Bislimi, Ministry of Economy
- UN agencies: Agostino Mulas, UNHCR; Monique Thormann,
UNICEF; M. Cristina Profili, Ambrosio Manend, WHO
- Red Cross and Red Crescent: Philippe Gaillard, ICRC;
Suzana Paunovska, Macedonian Red Cross;
- Foreign governmental and intergovernmental institutions:
Kevin Carew, US Embassy/PRM; Charles Setchell, USAID/OFDA; Aldo Biondi,
ECHO; Aleksandar Jovanovic, Embassy of Switzerland; Steve Ainsworth,
DFID
- International nongovernmental organizations: Milka
Kiprovska, Shelter Now International; Nick Scott-Flynn, Save the Children
(UK); Anne Bideau, Solidarites; Robert Bernardo, OXFAM; Paul Hebert,
OCHA; Timothy Pitt, MSF
Domestic nongovernmental organizations: Abdurauf Prusi, El Hilal; Saso
Klekovski, Emina Nuredinoska, MCIC;
- Absent
- Governmental institutions: Coordination Body
for Crisis Management; Ministry of Transport and Communications;
Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Water Resource Management
- UN agencies: WFD; FAO; UNDP
- Foreign governmental and intergovernmental institutions:
SDR
Boge Cadinovski, Head of the Department for Refugees,
Displaced Persons and Humanitarian Aid at the Ministry of Labour and Social
Policy initiated the meeting and was the presiding.
Record person: Emina Nuredinoska
AGENDA
Report from the 2nd meeting of NHC
- Information part - Organizations' reports
- Problems and issues to be considered and solved
Boge Cadinovski, Head of the Department for Refugees,
Displaced Persons and Humanitarian Aid at the Ministry of Labour and Social
Policy introduced the 2nd Coordination meeting of the National Humanitarian
Coordination record.
No remarks were made on the report.
Ad.1.
The organizations' representatives submitted short
written or oral reports for their activities.
Petar Dimovski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed about the meeting
held on 26th of July 2001 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with international
NGOs regarding the possibilities of improving the conditions for their
activities. International NGOs should inform the Multilateral Relations
Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the problems that occur.
Agostino Mulas, UNHCR, informed that the sectoral and interagency meetings
are being regularly held and there is a significant progress in the undertaken
activities. Present sectors are: food, logistics - WFP; health - WHO;
shelter - UNHCR; local services, education, water supply and sanitation
- UNICEF; agriculture - FAO. Information of the sectoral meetings will
be submitted additionally.
Ambrosio Manend, WHO, said that the capacity identification
process of the organizations active in the health sector at the present
and in eventual crisis escalation has finished and all information have
been sent to the international community. The Medical Centre in Tetovo
has been regularly supplied with medicines. The IDPs can obtain medicines
out of charge in three pharmacies in Skopje, computerized completely by
WHO.
Suzana Paunovska, Macedonian Red Cross, explained that
these three pharmacies are the Polyclinics in the Skopje suburbs of Cento,
Gorce Petrov and Bit Pazar. Free medicines can be obtained in the Medical
Centre in Tetovo as well.
Philippe Gaillard, ICRC, informed that the distribution
of humanitarian aid and evacuation of persons in crisis areas is ongoing.
Convoy with food supplies attempts to enter in the villages on the road
Tetovo - Jazince.
Abdurauf Prusi, El Hilal, informed about the 2nd NGO
National Coordination (domestic NGOs) meeting and the conclusions from
the meeting. A record from the meeting was delivered to the representatives.
Monique Thormann, UNICEF, said that UNICEF provides
psychosocial support to the displaced children in Skopje, Kumanovo and
Tetovo, as well as all collective centres. In the health sector, cooperation
with the Ministry of Education has been established for socialization
of disabled children. UNICEF through its partners (El Hilal) distributes
land mine protection materials.
Aleksandar Jovanovic, Humanitarian Aid Unit -Embassy
of Switzerland, announced the preparation of "cash for shelter"
project, in order to help the host families of IDPs.
Ad. 2.
Follow-up activities for problems and issues from the
previous meeting
Flora Latifi, President's Cabinet, said that the following
activities for issues from the last meeting have been undertaken:
- with the Ministry of Economy, Value Added Tax (VAT)
and Financial Transactions Tax exemption for domestic NGOs;
- with the Coordination Body for Crisis Management,
for ease of conflict areas access procedure.
Agostino Mulas, UNHCR, once again reminded about the
need of Government representatives' participation at the interagency and
sectoral meetings. NHC will request from the respective ministries to
appoint coordination representatives.
Sami Besimi, Ministry of Economy, explained that VAT
exemption issue is under jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. This
is a serious issue that only worsens IDPs' situation, thus reducing the
aid for 20%. This harms the Macedonian economy as well, because domestic
NGOs are forced to purchase goods from abroad.
Saso Klekovski, MCIC, said that the Ministry of Economy
representative should address these problems at the Government and the
Ministry of Finance. Our products are uncompetitive because of the VAT
and Financial Transactions Tax, which will be especially expressed while
reconstructing the facilities.
On the next meeting of the NHC, a representative
from the Ministry of Finance should participate in order to answer all
questions related to this issue.
New issues and problems
Philippe Gaillard, ICRC expressed the problem that international
organizations face. An ICRC vehicle has been stoned by IDPs lately. If
similar incidents happen again, ICRC will be forced to leave the country,
which will cause serious consequences.
Petar Dimovski, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asked ICRC
to inform the authorities in written about the incident, so that appropriate
measures could be undertaken.
Suzana Paunovska, Macedonian Red Cross, emphasized another emerging problem,
the evacuation of persons in the crisis areas.
Abdurauf Prusi addressed several problems. Financial aid for the host
families is necessary to be provided by the Government, as well as defining
procedure for obtaining personal documentation for the displaced persons
and on time information about the rights they have. He also explained
that the food and non-food supplies for IDPs should be acceptable (soya
is not used by the population at all) and with additional quality (the
aid provided from European funds has been imported from a neighbour country
with inappropriate quality).
Monique Thormann, UNICEF, said that according to their estimations there
is a need of providing psychosocial support in the unreachable regions
(crisis areas) as well.
After the discussion, the following was concluded:
- Condemnation of the attacks
on the international organizations.
NHC condemns the attacks on the international organizations and appeals
for peaceful expression of the dissatisfaction. NHC will request from
the Government public explanation of the objectives, tasks and mission
of the international organizations, especially the Red Cross, which
would help overcome undesirable consequences.
- Free medicines for IDPs and
special treatment for disabled IDPs.
The information for free medicines for IDPs should be announced in the
public through the media, in order to overcome the misunderstandings.
ICRC and the Macedonian Red Cross should submit a list of disabled children
settled at families and collective centres in order to provide better
treatment for them.
- Assessment of the teaching
possibilities in the crisis areas.
UNICEF and the Ministry of Education will establish a sub-body in order
to coordinate the activities and evaluate whether the standards for
the beginning of the new semester in the crisis areas have been fulfilled.
- Greater psychosocial support
involvement.
Besides the psychosocial support for children and women provided by
UNICEF and some other domestic women organizations, an involvement of
all available capacities (governmental institutions and other domestic
and international organizations) is also necessary in order to respond
adequately to the needs of as more IDPs as possible.
- Appropriate humanitarian aid.
Food and non-food supplies, as well as other aid provided should be
socio-culturally acceptable for the IDPs and with additional quality.
The meeting started at 13 hours and finished at 14:10 hours.
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