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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Testimony of J. Brian Atwood Administrator
before the Senate Appropriations Committee
April 27, 1999
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: It is a pleasure to be here to speak in support of the President's supplemental request for humanitarian assistance to the Kosovo refugees and for support of the frontline states of the region.
I have just returned from Albania and Macedonia, where I met with refugees, relief workers, diplomats, officials of the frontline states, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, and leaders of NATO. On the basis of what I saw and heard, I feel strongly that the refugee crisis must be seen in the context of the entire military and political crisis in the Balkans. The humanitarian aid we propose is an integral part of the total NATO undertaking.
The refugees are not a byproduct of the war. They are the central fact of the war. Slobodan Milosevic has cruelly forced these people from their homeland, and when it suits his purpose he cynically turns their exodus on and off like a spigot. He is attempting not only to seize their homeland but also to use their plight as a weapon to destabilize other countries in the region. His actions are ruthless and criminal and cannot be permitted to succeed. That is why the funding we propose is intended not only to meet the urgent needs of the refugees but to strengthen this entire region as it confronts this unprecedented challenge.
It is difficult to convey the scope of this disaster and the horror that has been inflicted on these innocent people. Something like 700,000 men, women and children have been forced from their homes and have crossed the borders into Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. No one knows how many are still in hiding in Kosovo -- estimates go as high as 800,000 or more -- or how many have been executed.
The refugees are in bad shape, physically and psychologically. They have been traumatized by the brutality of Serb military forces. Many have seen their friends and loved ones killed and their homes burned to the ground. They have been herded onto trains, or forced to flee on foot, and deported from their country. Many have been tortured. Parents are desperately concerned about the fate of their children, and thousands of children have become separated from their parents. By some estimates, two-thirds of those in the camps are children. To see these people's courage in the face of such adversity is to realize that we must pursue our humanitarian mission just as vigorously as we pursue the military actions that will end this aggression and bring these people home.
I cannot say enough about the heroic performance of the aid workers I met. Some are American, others are from many other nations, and all are working tirelessly to bring life and hope to the refugees. I'm particularly proud of USAID's two Disaster Assistance Reponse Teams that are in the area, one in Albania and one in Macedonia. These teams serve as our eyes and ears on the ground, gathering invaluable information in support of our relief efforts.
Throughout the region, relief workers are performing with exceptional courage in conditions of great personal danger. When I was in Albania, the relief community was deeply saddened by the death of two Americans, David and Penny McCall, board members of Refugees International, who were killed in an auto accident on the road to Kukes, along with the organization's European representative, Yvette Pierpaoli. They died as they had lived, while helping those in need. Their dedication was representative of thousands of relief workers around the world who place themselves in harm's way every day to relieve human suffering.
Before outlining the supplemental request, I should note that the United States government has been active in meeting the present crisis since it began early last year. Since March 1998 our government has provided more than $184 million in humanitarian relief to deal with the crisis, including about $77 million from USAID, $48 million from the Department of Defense and $59 million from the Department of State. USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Response has provided more than $31 million in commodities and grants to NGOs and over $46 million in Title II food aid to meet humanitarian needs in Albania and Macedonia. Since March 24, we have sent to Albania 700 tents, 20,000 five-gallon water jugs and 15,000 hygiene kits; during those same weeks we have sent to Macedonia 94,000 blankets, 2,260 tents, 1,630 rolls of plastic sheeting, 33,600 five-gallon water jugs, 300,000 humanitarian daily rations, and 35,000 hygiene kits. And yet the flood of refugees demands an even greater response.
Mr. Chairman, the President's supplemental request includes $591 million to be used for Function 150 humanitarian assistance for the refugees and for urgent economic support to the frontline states during the remainder of this fiscal year. This funding will support programs carried out by both the Department of State and USAID. The $591 million includes $386 million for humanitarian assistance; $150 million for assistance to the frontline states; $30 million for security assistance; and $25 million for diplomatic operations of the Department of State and other agencies in the region.
Humanitarian Assistance
We do not know how many refugees will ultimately need our help. In addition to those who have already crossed the borders, there are a great many more men, women and children in Kosovo who have been driven from their homes but are still in hiding in Kosovo and must be assumed to be in urgent need of assistance. Our plans are based on care and maintenance for up to a million or a million and a half refugees and internally displaced persons for the rest of this fiscal year.The $386 million for humanitarian assistance includes $220 million for refugee assistance. This comprises $125 million for the Department of State's Migration and Refugee Assistance Account and $95 million for State's Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance account to respond to urgent refugee needs by supporting programs carried out by international and nongovernmental organizations. The funds will be used for life-sustaining assistance to people uprooted by the Kosovo crisis, to support the multilateral effort to transport Kosovar refugees to temporary shelter in other countries, and to provide resources should additional refugee needs arise.
This humanitarian assistance also includes $71 million to USAID for International Disaster Assistance. Of this amount, $68 million will both replenish the disaster assistance account for help already provided in the region and also provide additional funds to assist Kosovo refugees for the remainder of the fiscal year. The basic relief assistance provided for includes emergency shelter, adequate water and sanitation, food, clothing, and medical care. In addition, many of the refugees have been traumatized by the brutality that has been directed against them by the Serb aggressors and are in urgent need of counseling.
A large percentage of the Kosovo refugees are not in traditional refugee camps supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but are in private homes and other facilities. These kinds of unconventional arrangements are likely to continue and expand as refugees continue to grow. The humanitarian assistance requirements for refugee communities living in these unconventional arrangements are substantial. USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, working through private voluntary organizations, will provide prompt and crucial support to the affected communities and will provide essential assistance within the more traditional refugee camps.
USAID expects to be called upon to support a variety of programs for the air, sea and land distribution of food, medicine and other supplies. USAID also expects to play a role in short-term infrastructure support, such as repairing roads and local water and sanitation systems that are overwhelmed by the influx of refugees. Such assistance is essential to maintain current and future relief efforts. When it is possible for the refugees to return to their homes, we intend to have the people, programs and supplies pre-positioned to address needs in Kosovo. These funds will also support the work of USAID's two Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) in the region, which are playing an extremely important role in assessing needs in the frontline states and refugee camps and advising and coordinating the U.S. relief operation.
This $71 million also includes $3 million to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency's role in the crisis, including its operation of a 24-hour, toll-free phone bank for private donations. This phone bank has thus far received 41,000 phone calls and has referred these potential donors.
Finally, the humanitarian assistance includes $95 million humanitarian assistance to frontline states and Kosovars funded by the SEED (Support for Eastern European Democracy) account. The $95 million is for assistance for countries in the region affected by the crisis and to address regional requirements for the safety, well being, and return of Kosovar refugees in Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro. These funds would be used for such activities as repair or strengthening of host-community water wells, roads, power systems, schools and clinics that are used to serve the refugees; assistance for traumatized victims of the refugee crisis; support for local nongovernmental organizations that assist the refugees; job creation in host communities; and support for voluntary organizations started by the refugees in the camps.
Economic Assistance to the Frontline States
The requested $150 million includes $100 million for balance of payments relief and $50 million of bilateral assistance to the frontline states. These funds are intended to counter the destabilizing effects, both political and economic, that the refugee crisis is having on the states around Serbia. Because of the crisis, these states' commerce and tax revenues are falling while the demand for their services is skyrocketing. These funds will be used to support countries that are in the midst of difficult transitions from communism to free-market democracies and are offering vital support to the NATO coalition. In addition to the proposed U.S. assistance, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union will supply a larger amount of funding to help these countries survive the pressures that now beset them.Of the proposed $150 million, $100 million from the Economic Support Fund account will support a campaign largely carried out by international financial organizations to close the balance of payments gap for the independent countries of Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania, and for Montenegro, which is part of Yugoslavia. (The tentative breakdown is Albania, $7 million; Bosnia, $12 million; Bulgaria, $25 million; Macedonia, $22 million; Romania, $14 million; and Montenegro, $20 million.) The World Bank, IMF and the Department of the Treasury believe that balance of payments support will be needed to help maintain macro-economic stability as these counties deal with the economic fallout caused by the conflict. For Montenegro, whose independence within Yugoslavia is threatened, our approach is bilateral because the World Bank and IMF cannot work with the Yugoslav government.
Additionally, the administration is requesting $50 million in SEED assistance to the frontline states to strengthen friendly and reform-minded governments; to address several economic and social pressures caused by the crisis; and to protect the $3 billion SEED investment already made in this region. (These SEED funds have gone for strengthening the rule of law, developing financial institutions and free markets, supporting elections and a free media, and developing local governments and nongovernmental organizations.) Initiatives would include training law enforcement officers, providing financial advice to governments and financial credit to small entrepreneurs, and supporting public health projects in areas serving refugees.
Security Support
$30 million is requested for security programs, including $25 million for preparations to establish a local police force in Kosovo so that such a force will be available as soon as possible after the Kosovars are able to return to their homes. Additionally, $5 million is requested to support the documentation of war crimes and other atrocities by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. The Tribunal has been charged by the international community with investigating alleged war crimes and bringing offenders to justice. U.S. policy strongly supports such action.Diplomatic Operations
The requested $25 million would help meet the diplomatic and security requirements arising from the crisis, including increased operations and protection of personnel stationed in the region.Mr. Chairman, these outlays make up the $591 million that the President has requested for Function 150 humanitarian purposes. We are not alone in taking action to meet the crisis that has been caused by the Serb aggression and its massive violation of the basic human rights of the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. A larger amount of assistance is being provided by the European Union and other countries, and it is important that all developed nations join forces against the Serb aggression. But it is also important for the United States to provide its traditional "fair share" of twenty to twenty-five percent of major international humanitarian assistance programs, both to maintain our historic leadership role and because of our strategic interests in this part of the world. There will be need for a major reconstruction program in Kosovo once the refugees have returned to their homes. We expect that the European community would take the lead in such an effort, though we should be prepared to contribute.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, that concludes my formal statement.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 18, 2001 |
