There is no shame in taking the help extended to us by friends.

Earlier this week, on 20-21 August, I travelled to Geneva, Switzerland, where I held a series of high-level briefings with the senior leadership of the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the International Red Cross to brief them on the devastating humanitarian crisis of flooding in Kerala.

This visit has, within many quarters of the cacophonic Indian media and belligerent political class, been singled out, misconstrued and maligned in an assortment of ways.

Let me set the record straight.

Over the course of the two days, I engaged in meetings with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, the Deputy Director-General of Emergency Preparedness and Response of WHO and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The mission, undertaken in my individual capacity and at my own expense, was driven by the following purpose: Should the Government of India, based on the requirement put forward by the state government of Kerala, reach out to the international community for humanitarian assistance, what were the possible avenues through which these actors could complement the massive on ground operations, which were and would encompass the 5 R’s in the state? These are Rescue (this is now almost over, due to the stellar performance of the armed forces, the NDRF, local fishermen groups and ordinary individuals), Relief (this was well under control thanks to the efficiency of the state administration and the solidarity of the Indian public), Risk of diseases (this needed to be assessed), Rehabilitation (a medium-term challenge) and Rebuilding (a long-term challenge). 

The discussions and deliberations were well-received by the respective branches of the international system focused on responding to health emergencies, disaster management and mitigation, and each meeting consciously targeted the international bodies that could best cater to and assist the needs of Kerala.

For instance, in the discussion with the OCHA, the designated body of the UN tasked with coordination among humanitarian actors and funding bodies in the event of an emergency, the need for a rapid assessment of sector-wide damage and loss assessment for recovery planning was stressed, in addition to the need to implement the valuable lessons we have learnt from similar situations in other countries. The UN said it was ready to offer technical assistance, long-term preparedness interventions and even help channel funds and resources for reconstruction needs in the state via an international conference of interested countries and competent stakeholders.

Similarly, the WHO mentioned they were closely monitoring the situation on ground, particularly since the flooding could potentially lead to an outbreak of communicable diseases (both vector and water-borne) like cholera, leptospirosis, hepatitis A, dengue and typhoid fever. While the grave risk of a possible epidemic outbreak in the state was a very real possibility, to counter this, the WHO had pointed out that they were in a position to offer Kerala rapid diagnostics kits to test water and water filters and that India was welcome to access WHO’s global stockpile of anti-cholera vaccines (2 million doses of current stocks estimated). The WHO could, in addition, help create disaster-preparedness programmes and early warning systems, as well as improve surveillance on a local and state level.

Finally, in my deliberations with the ICRC, while it was agreed that their classic mandate for conflict areas does not apply to India, its Centre of Excellence at Gujarat Forensic Sciences University could help in dealing with the sensitive management of fatalities. ICRC’s experience in helping create rehabilitation plans for displaced populations is also something that the authorities could draw upon in the weeks and months ahead as we rebuild Kerala.

While a more comprehensive version of my deliberations is now out in the public domain and can be accessed on my Facebook page, in summary, based on these conversations, my conclusions and recommendations (which were promptly shared with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his office) were as follows:

• State government could examine w
  
  Source: https://theprint.in/opinion/let-me-set-the-record-straight-i-was-in-geneva-for-kerala-shashi-tharoor