E/CN.4/1503 page 57
125. Secondly, because funds for humanitarian emergencies are
finite, one has to think in both' "lateral" and "vertical" terms
about the
the co-ordination of humanitarian assistance.
By
"lateral" is meant the range of emergencies for which assist-
ance is supplied, extending through man-made disasters to
economic difficulties in individual countries. By "vertical"
we refer to the
the co-ordination of humanitarian assistance
through the
the successive phases of relief,
relief, rehabilitation,
reconstruction and longer-term development. Just as the international community had reached a perception of the need for approaches to development co-operation to be integrated, so, increasingly, it is recognized that contributions must be
used in the most cost-effective way possible.
126. Already it has been seen that in the not infrequent cases where the origins of an exodus are compounded by famine, the apportioning of aid and timely distribution within the country of origin may contribute to circumscribing the flow. At the same time, the presence of international relief officials may help to create a measure of hope and confidence. An improve- ment in the psychological climate
climate is indeed a key factor in stemming the departure of groups who tend to influence each other until the movement snowballs beyond control. Conversely, in some situations the availability of international assistance very close to the border but exclusively within the receiving country may help precipitate the flow. It seems to be time to take a broader view and fill the existing lacunae.
127. Thirdly, appropriate organs of the United Nations called upon to deal with causes and, by inference, with prevention tend to be compartmentalized and ponderous, or may be hamstrung by political constraints.
At the same time, agencies,
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