20 November 2013 - The spirit of giving is not lost to our friends in Nordic countries – the home of the Philippines’ favorite grandpa and very jolly symbol of giving himself, Santa Claus. Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland have given close to USD 50 million in donations to date for typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) relief efforts. This excludes technical and other forms of assistance which some of the said countries have also been providing to the Philippines since the aftermath of the super typhoon.
Following is the breakdown of donations per country, based on the various media reports, interviews, and updates from the respective Foreign Ministries of the five (5) Nordic countries which the Philippine Embassy in Oslo has been able to collect and receive:
Norway
Norway was among the first to pledge aid to the Philippines after super typhoon Yolanda struck, providing the country with an initial contribution of 20 million Norwegian krones (NOK) or USD 3.2 million in aid via the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Red Cross.
This aid was increased to NOK 85 million or USD 13.71 million and just today, the Norwegian government has proposed to increase its humanitarian assistance to the Philippines with an additional NOK 140 million or USD 22.58 million. Once approved by the Norwegian Parliament, Norway will be contributing a total of NOK 205 million (USD 33.06 million) to the relief efforts.
During a special mass held last November 16 at St. Olav’s Church in Oslo for the victims of typhoon Yolanda, the Norwegian Prime Minister herself, Mrs. Erna Solberg, joined Filipinos and afterwards, was quoted as saying, “We want to help alleviate the suffering that children, women and men are now undergoing in the affected areas in the Philippines.”
The funds will be used to provide food, water, sanitation, health care and shelter and to meet other needs identified by the Philippine authorities and the UN. Norway will also give priority to support children and gender protection efforts and has supported the deployment of such experts to the disaster-hit areas.
Norway is also providing personnel and equipment through the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s emergency standby roster (NORCAP) and the Norwegian Emergency Preparedness System (NOREPS).
Denmark
Also among the first to pledge aid for typhoon relief, Denmark gave an initial contribution of 10 million Danish krone (DKK) or USD 1.8 million. However last November 12, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr. Christian Friis Bach, announced that Denmark would be increasing its aid to the Philippines making its donations amount to DKK 42.5 million or USD 7.8 million to date.
“The disaster has hit much harder than we initially feared,” said Minister Bach. “Assistance from the international community is urgently needed and I have, therefore, decided to increase significantly the Danish contribution to the relief efforts,” he added.
The Danish contribution is composed of DKK 18 million to the World Food Programme (WFP), DKK 6 million to UNICEF and another DKK 6 million to the International Red Cross Federation (IFRC). In addition, Denmark has already contributed another DKK 5.7 million through five Danish humanitarian organisations and DKK 1.8 million to the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), as well as DKK 5 million of the regular DKK 100 million Danish contribution to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, which has released USD 25 million (DKK 140 million) in response to the UN appeal. The total Danish contribution to the relief efforts in the Philippines has thereby reached DKK42.5M (USD7.8M) to date.
Finland
Providing an initial non-cash donation of one million euros or USD 1.34 million in relief goods coursed through the Red Cross, Finland has most recently announced that it will also be sending an aid package worth 2.7 million euros or USD 2 million in response to a UN call to assist recovery operations in the Philippines.
“It is important to respond to the UN call for aid to the Philippines,” said Finnish International Development Minister Pekka Haavisto. “We have prepared a 2.7 million-euro package, half of which will be devoted to food aid via the World Food Programme (WFP) and half will go to those NGOs that are operational in the area,” Minister Haavisto added.
Finland’s initial donations were used to supply 9,500 vaccine and medical packages for the Red Cross. The country has also provided the country with two state-of-the-art motor boats to assist rescue operations.
Sweden
Sweden was among the first to give technical assistance to typhoon ravaged areas in the Philippines, providing assistance through UNOCHA operations, including two (2) C-130 planes to deliver fuel and generators and eight (8) members of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. It also provided an additional one IL-76 aircraft full of relief goods.
Recently, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt announced that Sweden has allocated 20 million Swedish krona or USD 3 million to assist in relief efforts in the Philippines. According to FM Bildt, Sweden has also sent materials and personnel for two (2) base camps with housing and work premises for the relief efforts. ICT equipment for phone and internet communications were also donated.
“ICT equipment has become something of a specialty of Sweden. Ericsson will help us with that in general,” FM Bildt said, referring to the Sweden’s foremost multinational telecommunications company which also has a presence in the Philippines.
Iceland
Despite facing its own economic woes brought about by its bankruptcy during the 2008 global financial crisis, Iceland was still able to assist the Philippines with relief efforts by donating 12.3 Icelandic krona or USD 100,000 through the World Food Programme (WFP).
Icelandic Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson announced the aid package last week. END