The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday stressed the need for tsunami-devastated countries to be transparent and wise in using billions of dollars in aid for reconstruction to ensure more funding help. The Manila-based ADB was hosting a one-day meeting of officials from five countries worst hit by the December 2004 tsunami, donor countries and such international agencies as the World Bank and the United Nations. "It is essential to keep the world's attention focused on continued support and ensure that donor confidence in our efforts remain high," ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said at the start of the high-level coordination meeting. "The distribution of funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction must be predictable, transparent, strategic and effective," he added. According to a joint needs assessment by the ADB, the World Bank, the U.N. and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, an estimated 7.76 billion dollars were need for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of India, Indonesia, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Thailand, which was also badly hit by the tsunami, has not sought international aid for its rehabilitation. At least 2.512 billion dollars in aid have already been committed by the ADB, the World Bank and the U.N. for the tsunami victims. More funds have also been pledged by foreign governments. Kuroda said the size and complexity of the reconstruction and recovery efforts, the amount of funds coming in an the large number of agencies involved in the reconstruction efforts make the task challenging. "Given the scale of the recovery, even with our best efforts at coordination, the potential for gaps, overlaps and duplications is significant," he said. "We need to develop tools that can assist us in identifying gaps and avoiding duplications." During the meeting, the ADB is proposing a tracking system to "coordinate, monitor and manage the overall rebuilding effort" amid concerns by some donors about how and where funds earmarked for tsunami relief were actually being used. Kuroda said the ADB's proposal would provide "a regional window on the rebuilding process" and not replace country-specific monitoring tools. "Monitoring our progress will be critical to maintaining the momentum of reconstruction, the confidence of donors and the good will of the people in affected communities," he said. More than 170,000 people were confirmed killed and some 100,000 others missing in the tsunamis, which were triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake on the Indian Ocean floor off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
