DTS-DSDC MEETING

POST GERDEC COORDINATION

Time: Tuesday, 15April 2008, at 11:00-12:00, Venue: DSDC Offices (CoM)

Participants from DSDC: Albana Vokshi, DSDC Director, Valbona Kuko, Alma Marku, Azeta Xhafka, Nevila Zhindi, Migena Dako, Laura Shimili

Participants from DTS and Donor Community: Michel Gontier (EC), Norimasa Shimomura (UNDP), Dan Redford (OSCE), Carlo Benedetti (UNDP), John Brannaman (USAID), Robert Newsome (US)

Opening by Ms. Albana Vokshi (DSDC Director)

The meeting was opened by the host, the DSDC Director, Albana Vokshi, who thanked everyone for being able to meet in a very short notice and also thanked all donors for their assistance given so far. Ms. Vokshi reported that as a follow-up to:(1) the letter sent to the PM Berisha by Ambassador Lohan, in his capacity as the rotating Chair of the DTS, and (2)issues raised at the donor meeting on 11 April 2008, the Government has already taken some steps toward coordination of foreign assistance related to the Gerdec tragedy. To answer to the question about the role of the Government and the DSDC, an inter-ministerial group has been established on a Prime Minister’s order. At the present, this structure will be focused on Gerdec tragedy, but in the future this structure will be used to manage/coordinate donor assistance in other emergency situations. The group will be chaired by the Director of the DSDC and it will be composed of General Secretaries of all line ministries and directors of some other institutions that will have major role in emergencies, such as Director of KESH, Department at MFA which deals with emergencies, including Mr Olli’s Civil Emergency Directorate-General (CED). DSDC Director promised to send a copy of the order to all participants as soon as the order is cleared within the CoM. The main objective of this group is to prepare a plan for coordinating the external assistance based on the short, medium and long-term needs in emergency crisis. The group will need to create a plan (short to long-term plan).It does not imply reduction of the responsibilities of the Civil Emergency Directorate-General, DSDC have to work very closely with CED.

The participants were asked to assist with the coordination efforts and were asked for their concerns and for ideas on how to work together toward achieving a better coordination. As such assuring that the donor assistance becomes more effective and making sure that everything donors will pledge will be used accordingly.

Round Table discussion, exchanges of information

Mr. Redford, mentioned that one of the issues that was raised at the donor meeting on 11 April was the donors’ need to be provided with a coordinated official wish list, which will provide in detail what exactly are the needs of the Government in order to overcome the situation. So far, donors have been contacted by different state agencies, each of them asking for fragmented assistance, but they are holding back waiting for a coordinated request.

Mr. Newsome informed about the fact that the US military team which is in groundwill be replaced by the New Jersey national guards (a partnership between Albania and NJ national guard).Also,the initial emergency response is transitioning to a medium to long-term mitigation process. In order to help the GoA with the wish list, US military teamheld a meeting with Mr. Alfred Olli and Mr. Sali Kelmendi, the Civil Emergency Director. The National Guards (with 18 years of experience in crisis management) will work with Mr. Kelmendi’s office and will help with the list, asking each line ministry on their needs. The list will be presented to the DSDC the following day (on Wednesday).

Ms. Vokshi stressed that the GoA/DSDC will collect detailed information from each line ministry and government institution that has been affected. This information will include information on the damages, information on what donors, GoA and private sector have been providing so far (in order to avoid any overlapping) and the needs from each institution. These needs will be also prioritised. To compile the coordinated list of needs and priorities, the GoAneeds to be using all reports prepared so far by the donor community and government institutions in order to avoid starting everything from the scratch. E.g. the UNDAC report has four areas of recommendations from short to long-term and as such can be transformed into a coordinated list of the GoA. The GoA is aiming at this list very soon (within one or two days) and upon preparing this detailed list, DSDC wants to call another meeting with the donor community and inform them about the needs in each institution.

Mr. Shimomura, congratulated the GoA and DSDC for having a consolidated coordination structure conceptually in place, stressing that this is an excellent development in terms of coordinating the long-term response. He suggested such coordination effort should take good stock ofall work already done since the incident, including the shot term and long term recommendations contained in the UNDAC report. He mentioned that the UNDP will make best efforts to respond to Government needs once they are formalized by the Government. For example, UNDP has a response mechanism at the HQs that could support immediate need of the GoA to enhance its coordination capacity- This can be triggered as soon as the formal request is received.

Mr. Gontier, on behalf of Mr. Lohan, EC Head of Delegation and rotating chair of the DTS thanked the GoA/DSDC for the very efficient and quick reaction on the letter sent by Ambassador Lohan to the Prime Minister and the exchange of letters between the Commissioner Louis Michel and the Minister of Defence, Mr Oketa. He informed the participants that EC proposes to support a project for improving the conditions of theMotherTeresaHospital, burns ward. If all goes well, a €950.000 contract could be signed in September (respecting our procurement timetable). EC is also exploring some mid-term support through IPA 2009. This needs to be planned with the DSDC, line ministries and Ministry of Integration.

It was mentioned also that EC had a programme for demining (AAP 2005), which has been found helpful from the GoA since the Albanian demining units that were sent to Gerdec shortly after the explosion were created and trained under our previous demining project in Northern Albania.In these tragic circumstances, it demonstrated the sustainability of the results of our assistance implemented by UNDP.

Mr. Gontier also mentioned that the conclusions of the donor meeting of 11 April 2008 were: (1)an immediate need to get a coordination mechanism to handle the situation; (2) the guidelines need to come from the top level of the GoA; (3) there is need for transparency; need to have a list of projects and financial breakdown; and, (4) need to have a meeting with the top level of the GoA.

The GoA has already reacted on some of these. To further complete these requirements, the GoA will have an internal meeting and collect all necessary information and will call another meeting with the donors in order to share this information and find possible funding from donors based on priorities.

Mr. Brannaman raised the important issue of a Government’s strategy on what is going to happen with Gerdec area, how the GoA plans to bring people back. This strategy will help the donor community in making their plans for support. The issue of ‘will people have the choice of returning?” was also raised at the previous donor meeting on 11 April.

To answer to this concern, Ms. Vokshi mentioned that MoI and the Department for Emergency are working in preparing a strategy for the affected area. Once it is ready, along with all GoA’s short, mid and long term plans, it will be shared with the donor community.

On the other side, the US government is looking at funding “site clean up”, with an initial commitment of 2 million USD and an additional commitment of 4 million USD. The initial assessment is that it will take 2.5 year, to clean up the site.

Mr. Benedetti informed that in the UNDAC report, there is a need for assessment of the remaining ammunitions depots. The UNDAC team was asked by the GoA to try to explore the issue, but this was not attainable during the short period they were here.

UN has made an offer to support the GoA for such an assessment of the remaining depots. It was suggested that the GoA coordinates this since there are many different actors involved.

Mr. Newsome add that , based on expert advice concerning safety/environmental concerns that it would take some considerable time before local inhabitants should be allowed to return.

Conclusions

1. The first step to be undertaken by the inter-ministerial group will be to create a plan (short, mid and long-term plan).

2. Every step that the GoA will undertake will be coordinated with the DTS and the donors. This coordination will not happen only at the beginning but throughout the process.

3. The GoA and donors will need to monitor very closely where all funds are going (this to include the government, donor and private sector funds) and how everything is processing.

All donors present at the meeting promised support to the process.

M.G

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