The duty of solidarity is thus imperative. It is the honour of my country to have been amongst the first to react and bring in help.
-- On Sunday October the 9th, less than 36 hours after the earthquake, search and rescue specialised team arrived. They have been operational in Balakot since the 10th. Our rescuers' effort were rewarded; they save five children trapped in the debris of their school.
-- In the night between October the 10th and 11th, 60 doctors specialised in dealing with emergencies, surgeons, anaesthetists, and nursing staff arrived in Islamabad with the necessary equipment and material to install a field hospital. An emergency and a surgical unit was set up in Muzaffarabad and started functioning on October the 13th. By October the 27th, these teams had carried out 2038 emergency cases and medical consultations as well as 140 surgical operations.
-- On October the 14th, the first cargo plane transporting 73 tonnes of humanitarian aid (tents, generators, sleeping bags, blankets etc, etc) supplied by the French Government, various NGOs and private foundations was unloaded at the Islamabad airport.
Since then, France following the example of its partners of the European Union and a large number of other countries around the world, has not slowed down its action. I do not only refer to the surgical unit still present in Muzaffarabad or to the replacement of the personnel which already took place, but also to:
-- The participation of France in the airlift set up by Nato (seven French C130 in the period between October the 19th and the 30th transporting 80 tonnes of humanitarian goods).
-- The management by French military personnel of the unloading of freight transported by Nato aircraft between October the 19th and the 23rd (17 planes and 153 tonnes).
-- The announcement, during the October 26 Geneva Conference, of an additional contribution of 5 million euros which will be donated to the Red Cross and the Red Crescent as well as the UNICEF for its vaccination campaign against measles.
This report would not be comprehensive if I do not mention the following:
-- The activity of the 16 French NGOs (113 persons) which have been or are still present in different areas of NWFP or in AJK.
-- The participation of France, for 16.40% in the operations of the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), a commitment amounting to 93,60 million Euros (114,14 million USD).
-- The fact that France is in charge in Pakistan of the "air component' of the assistance provided by Nato in the field of civil engineering.
-- The prospect of new arrivals of humanitarian aid in the coming days, in response to requests made by the Pakistani authorities: an Air France B-747, carrying about 80 tonnes of humanitarian assistance, donated by NGO's and private companies, has been sent from France by the Delegation for Humanitarian Action of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Concurrently, the French community in Pakistan has mobilised its resources (individuals and companies). The "Alliance Francaises" in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar have decided to launch an appeal for help to the network of "Alliances francaises" throughout the world.
As it is the case in Pakistan, the mobilisation of the international community is due to be pursued, during the emergency phase as well as during the reconstruction phase.
Every one of us, wherever he or she is, is a witness to the ordeals suffered by the people throughout the world, Now is the time for globalisation of information to imply the globalization of solidarity.
(The writer is Ambassador of France to Pakistan.)