EU pledges $303,000 for forest fire problems
EU pledges $303,000 for forest fire problems
JAKARTA (JP): The European Union (EU) has pledged ECU 326,000,
equivalent to Rp 1.09 billion (US$303,000), to the Indonesian
government to help overcome problems caused by the current forest
fires.
The European Commission's representative office here said in a
statement yesterday the pledge followed a decision by the
European Commission and EU member states to undertake a
coordinated European approach to assist the government and people
of Indonesia during the present emergency.
The assistance comprises fire-fighting equipment valued at ECU
194,000, ECU 115,000 for remote sensing equipment and ECU 17,000
for fire-fighting expertise.
The offer followed the recommendation made by the EU Fire
Response Group (EUFREG), an advisory team established by the
European Commission and EU member states.
The EUFREG team comprises experts from EU-assisted forestry
projects and was set up to collect and analyze information on the
fires, coordinate with government agencies and other donors and
advise the Commission and member states on appropriate responses.
The pledge was in addition to ongoing EU-assisted forest fire
projects in South Sumatra and East Kalimantan, the statement
said.
Through these projects, fire-fighting equipment has been made
available to fire crews in recent weeks, local volunteers and
others have been trained in basic fire-fighting techniques and
expatriate fire management experts have given guidance and advice
to local teams at the fire sites.
The EU member states and the European Commission have provided
nearly 35 percent of all external assistance to Indonesia's
forestry sector.
The EU, therefore, has a long-term commitment to Indonesia's
forestry sector with many projects focusing on the conservation
and sustainable management of Indonesia's forest resources, the
statement said.
Staff from these projects have been made available to assist
EUFREG in its analysis of the current situation.
The lessons learned from this year's disastrous fires will be
incorporated into the projects, thus helping the government plan
for the future.
Individual EU member states have also committed further
assistance on a bilateral basis in response to the current
situation.
The additional assistance includes fire-fighting experts from
Finland, France, Germany and Sweden, and a provision of United
Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team members from
Germany and the United Kingdom.
The assistance also includes training for 100 Armed Forces
personnel in East Kalimantan by Germany, and a monetary
contribution of $110,000 from the United Kingdom to help fire
victims and $10,000 from Greece for humanitarian aid. (08)