29 January 2004 - In grateful recognition of the international community’s response to calls for humanitarian assistance in times of calamities and natural disasters, Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert recently extolled the generosity of the Government of Sweden, the latest international donor for the victims of landslides and flood in Southern Leyte and Mindanao.

“At times like these, we are moved by the benevolent and charitable gestures of our bilateral partners, ” Secretary Albert declared.  “While the humanitarian aid is meant to respond to emergency needs and rehabilitation, the establishment and the training of community-based disaster action teams are added values in civic affairs,” she further stated.

The Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), will provide Php.4,700,000.00  (600,000.00 SEK) as emergency funds for flood and landslide victims in Southern Leyte and four provinces in the Caraga Region in Mindanao.

The emergency fund will be released by Sida through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cross Crescent Societies (IFRC), a major humanitarian organization, of which the Philippine National Red Cross is a member.
 
The Swedish assistance is intended to help finance ongoing emergency response operations.  These include building and rehabilitating houses, re-establishing and improving damaged water supply systems, providing sanitation facilities, distributing livelihood items to affected families, and establishing and training community-based volunteer forces and barangay disaster action teams.

SIDA is the government agency under the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs responsible for international development cooperation.  Since the 1980s, Sweden through Sida has been a development partner of the Philippines.  Sweden’s cooperation with the Philippines focuses on the environment, human rights, good governance, training, and assistance to NGOs. – END