NEW YORK, NY - August 19, 2010
-- A new online resource centre developed by the United Nations seeks
to help reduce the damage done to the environment during humanitarian
and relief activities in the aftermath of natural disasters, conflicts
and other crises.
The Resource Centre for Mainstreaming
Environment into Humanitarian Action features guidelines, training
materials, case studies and other tools and is intended as a handbook
for relief workers.
The new website was launched today, on World Humanitarian Day, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
"Making
relief and recovery operations more environmentally-sound will ensure
that both human welfare and the environment are protected and conserved
in response to a disaster or conflict," the agency stated in a news
release.
UNEP noted that despite the critical role relief work
plays during a crisis, actions like cutting down trees to provide
shelter and firewood and the inadequate management of medical waste can
impact the success of humanitarian action.
One example of this
is in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the size
and density of settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) has
led to severe degradation of wildlife populations, trees and other
natural resources in some areas, even encroaching on the Virunga
National Park, according to UNEP.
Also, emergency food
distribution following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January
resulted in a big increase in solid and liquid waste, mainly due to
packaging.
The agency pointed out that several best practices
have proven that including environmental considerations in humanitarian
operations is not only better for the environment but also
cost-effective.
These include sending supplies by ship rather
than by air, as well as predictable and coordinated planning of
logistical operations.
More than 150 resources from over 20
organizations are already featured on the website, and UNEP is calling
for contributions of resources in any language from non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), governments, UN agencies, private sector and
academic and research institutions.