Norwegian Foreign Minister visits Typhoon Haiyan (Yolande) affected communities

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende distributes rice seedlings to farmers in typhoon-hit Basey yesterday.  

 

 

I was happy to learn that Borge Brende the Norwegian Foreign Minister visited typhoon affected areas yesterday. In early 2010 when he was secretary general of the Norwegian Red Cross I traveled with him through tsunami affected areas in Aceh and earthquake affected West Sumatra with Erik Solheim,  Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Environment, Government of Norway. I wrote an article at that time about him and Erik Solheim Minister, outlining their leadership qualities.

Here is an excerpt about his visit yesterday from the Philippines Star.

 

Visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende handed sacks of rice seedlings to farmers in Barangay Can-abay in Samar yesterday.

Speaking to reporters, Brende said the situation in Typhoon Yolanda-hit areas remained critical.
“The needs are immense and a huge effort is being made by a wide range of actors,” he said.
Ador Amascual, Basey municipal agricultural officer, said 1,914 bags of rice seedlings were distributed to the farmers in Basey.
“If they missed this planting season they would not harvest until the next harvest season in October,” he said. “And they would have to rely on food aid for almost a year.”
Brende said Norway is closely monitoring the humanitarian situation in Philippines.

 In 2010 Iyang Sukandar, Borge Brende and Bob McKerrow having dinner in Aceh. Iyang and Borge were enjoyable traveling companions as you see and feel their commitment and passion for their work. They also have a great sense of fun and we were laughing a lot.

Norway has sent some experts and equipment through the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Emergency Standby Roster and the Norwegian Emergency Preparedness System, Brende said.
He personally supervised his government’s humanitarian operations in Samar and discussed its role in the recovery efforts.
Accompanying Brende were Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in the Philippines Rajendra Aryal and Department of Agriculture Eastern Visayas executive director Antonio Gerundio.
Brende also visited devastated rice lands in the municipality, particularly in Barangay Tingib, and had an interaction with the farmers.
Pointing to the rice fields behind her, Marygrace Andalan, 44, told Brende they were about to harvest their palay when Yolanda inundated their farms.
“It destroyed some 200 bags of our ready-for-harvest palay planted in our four hectares rice lands,” she said.
Andalan’s family is one of the 43,579 typhoon-affected families getting support from the FAO with quality, certified rice seed in time for the planting season.
The DA has reported that some 600,000 hectares of rice lands were devastated and some 1.1 metric tons of crops were lost – about 80 percent in Eastern Visayas – following the devastation of Yolanda.
Paul Manalo, FAO emergency communications consultant, has requested support for the 63,234 hectares of devastated rice crops in Eastern Visayas alone.
FAO has bridged the gap for rice seeds in Eastern Visayas through the support of Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Belgium, as well as from the UN-CERF funds, he added.
FAO, in collaboration with the DA, is the first organization to deliver rice seeds to Eastern Visayas.
Brende proceeded to Tacloban City and Basey after a short visit to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

More about Borge from Wiki.


Børge Brende (born 25 September 1965) is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party and has been as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 16 October 2013. He served as Minister of the Environment 2001–2004 and as Minister of Trade and Industry 2004–2005, and as a member of the Storting 1997–2009.
Brende served as Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development 2003-2004. In 2005 he took up the appointment of International Vice Chairman of the China Council for the International Cooperation on Environment and Development (advisory board to the State Council).
In January 2008, Brende joined the World Economic Forum as Managing Director, particularly in charge of relations with governments and civil society. In 2009, Børge Brende joined the Norwegian Red Cross as Secretary General.^[1] He re-joined the World Economic Forum in 2011 as Managing Director with responsibility for policy initiatives and engagement of the Forum's non-business constituents.^[2]
Brende is married and has two sons.^[3][4


Børge Brende (born 25 September 1965) is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party and has been as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 16 October 2013. He served as Minister of the Environment 2001–2004 and as Minister of Trade and Industry 2004–2005, and as a member of the Storting 1997–2009.
Brende served as Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development 2003-2004. In 2005 he took up the appointment of International Vice Chairman of the China Council for the International Cooperation on Environment and Development (advisory board to the State Council).
In January 2008, Brende joined the World Economic Forum as Managing Director, particularly in charge of relations with governments and civil society. In 2009, Børge Brende joined the Norwegian Red Cross as Secretary General.^[1] He re-joined the World Economic Forum in 2011 as Managing Director with responsibility for policy initiatives and engagement of the Forum's non-business constituents.^[2]
Brende is married and has two sons.^[3][4