Transcripts of speech of foreign delegates at donors' conference

  • India’s Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj’s speech

Rt. Hon’ble Shri Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal,

Dr. Ram Saran Mahat, Finance Minister,

Shri Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Minister for Foreign Affairs,

Distinguished colleagues from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Japan, Norway, Sri Lanka, United Nations, European Union, World Bank and Asian Development Bank,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, let me offer, on behalf of the people and Government of India, deepest condolences for the loss of human lives and for the massive devastation caused by the tragic earthquake on 25 April, and its major aftershock on 12 May. I salute the resilience of the people of Nepal and reassure you of India’s full support.

The terrible disaster and continuing aftershocks have not diminished the indomitable spirit of the Nepalese people. They are calm and dignified in their tragedy. I see a quiet confidence and a steely determination as they seek to rebuild their lives and their communities. Every challenge is an opportunity. Out of adversity comes strength. Without doubt, from the debris of destruction, a stronger, united and more confident Nepal will rise.

Today I convey to you the deep and abiding commitment of the Government and 1.25 billion people of India and the personal commitment of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as you seek to “wipe the tears of every Nepali”.

Not only had the government of Bangladesh responded by sending 10,000 MT rice and other humanitarian assistance, but many organisations had also come forward spontaneously to help the people of Nepal.

Bangladesh was no stranger to disasters and had developed sufficient expertise in the field of disaster management and could share the same with Nepal. I would like to reiterate that Bangladesh would provide as far as possible, whatever help Nepal needed.

Bangladesh could offer more rice to Nepal and could also assist in the rebuilding process by offering management expertise and personnel. I would like to inform you that the Bankers’ Association would donate Taka four crore to their relief fund.

 

  • Australia’s Ambassador to Nepal Glenn White's speech

Thank you to The Right Honourable Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and the Honourable Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat for chairing this pledging conference.

Australia is pleased to be participating along with other donors to make a further contribution to the much needed ongoing recovery efforts in Nepal.

May I express, on behalf of the Australia Government, my condolences to the people and Government of Nepal affected by the earthquakes and their aftershocks.

This disaster has struck a chord with many Australians for whom Nepal is a special place.  Ordinary Australians have donated more than $20 million to non-government organisations.

The event has also had a deep impact on our 25,000 strong Nepalese community in Australia who have rallied to provide support to their families back here in Nepal.

Australia commends all those who have assisted in the response to the earthquakes to date. The hard work and coordinated effort has made possible a rapid and effective response in very difficult circumstances - however, the humanitarian response phase is not over.

The monsoon season is presenting new challenges and some communities are in need of further supplies.

Australia has already provided almost $12 million in support of lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

This includes support for shelter, water and sanitation, food, nutrition and health and medical supplies for affected communities.

Australia has recently deployed further humanitarian stores – blankets, tents and family kits – to help affected communities, which are now on stand-by in neighbouring countries.

Australia is, of course, keen to ensure these supplies are able to be delivered as soon as possible. To that end, strongly encourage to work with the Nepalese Government to reintroduce the waiver for incoming humanitarian supplies and to extend the waiver to all genuine humanitarian stores⋅

The Australian Government remains committed to supporting the strength and resilience of the Government and people of Nepal as you start the enormous task for repairing and rebuilding the social and physical infrastructure of your country- following Australia’ initial $10 package of support for recovery and reconstruction announced on 10 May.

Today I am pleased to confirm an additional $6 million to support reconstruction and recovery. This brings our total support package including response and recovery to more than $28 million.

Australia’s recovery and reconstruction package will focus on key areas that address priorities identified in Post-Disaster Needs Assessment: livelihoods, education and ensuring the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Our package will:

-provide more than 17,000 children, including marginalised girls and children with disabilities, with access to education and psycho-social support in safe temporary learning spaces

- help rebuild twelve schools in five districts to serve as models for building back better as well as deploy Australian infrastructure specialists to assist the Nepalese Department of Education with damage assessments and reconstruction planning

- revive the disrupted enterprises of more than 13,000 individuals (mainly women) to help kick-start local economic recovery - support community mediation and conflict resolution.

Thank for your invitation to Australia to participate in this conference.

We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Nepal during this time of need.

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