Occasional Paper #13, United Nations Coordination of the International Humanitarian Response To The Gulf Crisis 1990-1992

By Larry Minear, U.B.P. Chelliah, Jeff Crisp, John Mackinlay, and Thomas G. Weiss

Comments from Edmund J. Cain, Resident Co-ordinator, UN System’s Operational Activities for Development in Turkey, 2 September 1992

Dear Mr. Minear,

I am writing to thank you for sending me a copy of the Watson Institute’s Gulf Evaluation Report. I found the report to be comprehensive and accurate in its analysis, conclusions and recommendations. I was particularly pleased to see that many of the observations I made in my discussions with John Mackinlay and the documentation I provided him found its way into the report. It was also gratifying for me to see that these views were largely shared by others.

Your first and fifth recommendations are the cornerstones to a more successful UN response to natural and man-made disasters. The delegation of authority with the accountability that follows needs to be addressed on an urgent basis. You have, no doubt, been following discussions along these lines in various international fora. I hope that these discussions will be followed up and acted upon the upcoming General Assembly session since we continue to operate in the field with muddled matters.

I also feel recommendation thirteen is key to an effective response capacity in the future. We need to depend less on the UN System’s limited operational capacity to carry out emergency relief operations and more on the stand-by facilities of governments, including military, and non-governmental organizations to deliver services and goods. The UN role, I would agree, should concentrate more on information, coordination and providing political legitimacy to operations. Based on my experience, I have a number of ideas on the this point which I would be happy to share with you on some future occasion.

Again, thank you very much for sharing your report with me and I do count on you and your team to press follow-up action on your most enlightened and constructive recommendations.

Yours sincerely,

Edmund J. Cain