UN welcomes 15 million dollar in donations so far to China’s Wenchuan earthquake survivors

The United Nations Friday welcomed the $15 million received so far from the international community in response to the UN appeal to assist the survivors of May’s devastating Wenchuan earthquake, which killed some 70,000 people and left almost 5 million homeless.

Contributions of nearly $11 million came from commitments by Canada ($7 million Canadian), Norway ($1.5 million), Saudi Arabia ($1.5 million), Belgium (?500,000) and the European Union (?300,000).

Khalid Malik, the UN Resident Coordinator in China, said: “We are very grateful for the contributions of the four nations and the European Union.”

“By joining forces with the United Nations on the Appeal, they will help the survivors of the earthquake recover their livelihoods, return to school and have more sustainable access to health care and better living conditions,” according to a statement issued by the UN.

The UN Appeal is part of its overall effort to assist the communities affected in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, where an estimated 5 million buildings collapsed, 21 million buildings were damaged and over 40 million people were affected.

“We have emphasized from the beginning that the needs are tremendous. We very much hope that these contributions are the beginning,” Mr. Malik said.

The $33 million UN China Appeal for the Wenchuan Earthquake Early Recover Support, launched on 16 July, was designed to bridge the immediate relief effort with longer-term processes of reconstruction.

The UN system in China has already delivered over $18 million in emergency relief to the affected populations and has begun working closely with the Chinese Government and the international community in the reconstruction efforts.