The Russian partner will be the emergency ministry, a powerful semi-military outfit whose activities include disaster relief but also errand-running for Russia's security services.
After the guarantees of relief materials, our college acted as materials repertory and transfer center, devoting actively to disaster relief work in Wenchuan.
So the claim that fiscal responsibility requires immediate spending cuts to offset the cost of disaster relief is just wrong, in both theory and practice.
We are now at a point of transition from disaster relief and damage assessment to reconstruction, from immediate assistance to medium - and long-term rehabilitation.
In Thailand -our oldest treaty partner in Asia -we are working to establish a hub of regional humanitarian and disaster relief efforts in the region.
