পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (ত্রয়োদশ খণ্ড).pdf/৮১১

783 ংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ ত্রয়োদশ খন্ড I would also like to mention our deep appreciation of those who have contributed bilaterally or directly. This is clearly a situation that calls for universal response and the greater the universal effort the better. Taken together, all pledges from external sources now total an estimated dollars 247.6 million. Need I amplify on the gap.” Seeing how patent it is, and after a summer of following up on the Secretary-General's May 19 appeal, I addressed a comprehensive aide-memoire to Governments again on October 11 and appealed on Television and Radio for further generosity. In particular, I stressed the need for un-earmarked cash contributions to allow the greatest flexibility. I further pointed out that whilst some of the requirements could be met expeditiously in kind (e.g. Rice, Pulses, Sugar), the Focal Point, in line with the express wishes of the Government of India, would welcome contribution in cash to enable the purchase of as many commodities in India as possible. By mid-October, practically all the aid, whether in cash or kind that had been pledged to the U. N. system had either been transmitted to the Government of India or was in the pipeline for delivery before the end of this year. It had been committed for the purchase and movement of shelter material, medicines, food supplies, blankets and clothing and for the provision of logistical Support. In consequence, the flow of material and financial resources was in imminent danger of interruption. Since this latest appeal, there have been further generous contributions, but the position remains exceedingly grave. Without wishing to belabour this committee with the details of the operation, which can be gleaned from the information paper, permit me to illustrate the dimensions of the effort, with a few vivid examples of the response through the U. N. systemi: Food: nearly 142,000 MT of rice have been pledged and 62,671 tons delivered; transport over 2,200 vehicles have been ordered of which over two-thirds have been delivered; shelter: polythene sheeting, providing roofing for over 3 million refugees, has reached from abroad; blankets: about three million have so far been located and are being transported after a world-wise search; medicines: in one of the longest humanitarian airlifts ever, over 700 tons of medicines and medical supplies have been flown to India; health: provision is being made to combat malnutrition in its early stages and to cure it when it exists in camps scattered along the length of the border. None of this would have been possible without the excellent cooperation and coordination that has grown between my office and the other members of the U. N. system principally concerned. Which leads me to the actual mechanism of the Focal Point. Immediately after assuming this responsibility, I set up in Geneva a standing inter-agency consultation unit. Its task is, first to mobilize and secure international support and contributions; second to arrange for the procurement of supplies in a coordinated manner and to deliver the supplies to India; third to maintain close liaison with the Government of India. Parallel to this consultation unit, the Government of India has set up in Delhi a coordinating committee where all the ministries concerned of the Central Government as well as the U. N. Focal Point and the U. N. Agencies directly interested are represented. This double mechanism, in Geneva and in Delhi, is yielding most positive results to the satisfaction of all concerned. I wish to extend my warmest appreciation to the specialized agencies of the United Nations for their immediate response and effective cooperation. It is important, too, that I should clarify for a better understanding of the combined efforts in this situation, that the role of the United Nations is not an operational