Canada and Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund

From the Prime Minister’s

April 3, 2014
Mississauga, Ontario

The Government of Canada is committed to helping countries affected by natural disasters. To this end, Canada has taken decisive action to provide assistance to the people affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013.
Canada took immediate action at the onset of the crisis to assist the Philippines, contributing $5 million in humanitarian assistance funding to provide urgent assistance to those affected.
On November 10, 2013, Canada established a mechanism through which every eligible dollar donated by individual Canadians from November 9 to December 23, 2013, to registered Canadian charities responding to the impact of the typhoon, would be matched by the Government of Canada in the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.
On April 3, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that individual Canadians contributed over $85 million in eligible donations that our Government will match through its Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.
Of the over $85 million to be matched by the Government, $15 million was initially disbursed for emergency relief activities in November 2013 to Canada’s humanitarian partners which have the expertise and capacity to provide immediate assistance on the ground.
The Government of Canada is pleased today to announce that a further $50 million of the $85 million to be matched by the Government is being allocated to the following experienced and trusted Canadian and international partners to help the people of the Philippines recover from the impact of the typhoon and help them rebuild their lives:
Canadian Non-Governmental Organizations

• Action Contre la Faim – $3.75 million to help up to 35,000 affected people in Leyte province and PanayIsland.
• ADRA Canada – $2.2 million to help up to 27,000 affected people on PanayIsland.
• CARE Canada – $1.3 million to help up to 24,850 affected people in Leyte, Samar and on PanayIsland.
• Centre for International Studies and Cooperation – $750,000 to help up to 12,500 affected people in Leyte and Western Samar.
• Christian Children’s Fund Canada – $950,000 to help up to 9,200 affected people in Leyte province.
• Development and Peace – $2 million to help up to 6,840 affected people in Samar province.
• Global Medic – Léger Foundation – $450,000 to help up to 15,000 affected people in Leyte province.
• Handicap International Canada – $1.65 million to help up to 4,690 affected people in Capiz province.
• HOPE International Development Agency – $1.5 million to help up to 31,960 affected people in Leyte province.
• Humanity First Canada – $250,000 to help up to 6,250 affected people in Capiz and Iloilo provinces.
• Plan Canada – $1.5 million to help up to 37,500 affected people in East and West Samar.
• Save the Children Canada – $2 million to help up to 12,500 affected people on PanayIsland.
• World Renew – $1.4 million to help up to 21,860 affected people on PanayIsland and in Leyte and Samar provinces.
• World Vision Canada – $3.6 million to help up to 12,660 affected people in Leyte province.
• International Organizations
• International Committee for the Red Cross – $1.5 million to help up to 250,000 affected people in Samar province.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – $6 million to help up to 500,000 affected people across all typhoon-affected areas.
• International Organization for Migration – $2.5 million to help up to 2.2 million displaced people (inside and outside of evacuation centres).
• United Nations Children’s Fund – $3 million to help up to 1.34 million affected people (of which 558,000 are children) across all typhoon-affected areas.
• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization – $6 million for the restoration of livelihoods for up to 128,600 affected households across all typhoon-affected areas.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – $2 million for protection interventions and the provision of relief items for up to 300,000 affected people across typhoon-affected areas.
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – $1 million for the provision of strategic coordination, information and assessments in support of more than 110 humanitarian partners responding to Typhoon Haiyan across typhoon-affected areas.
• United Nations Population Fund – $1 million for the prevention of gender-based violence and the provision of health services to up to 3.7 million women and girls of childbearing age affected by Typhoon Haiyan across typhoon-affected areas.
• United Nations World Food Programme – $2.5 million for the provision of food assistance to help up to 3 million affected people across typhoon-affected areas.
• World Health Organization – $1.2 million for the provision of essential health-care services by strengthening disease surveillance and referral systems in order to help up to 7 million affected people across typhoon-affected areas.
• The above assistance ($50 million) in the early recovery phase over the next year will help to create durable shelter solutions and opportunities for people in the farming, fishing and services sectors to earn a living in order to meet their basic needs. This includes food and nutrition, health care, education, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, as well as protection for vulnerable groups, including women and children, and internally displaced people.

Longer-Term Reconstruction
The remaining $20.59 million from the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund will be used for longer-term reconstruction and disaster risk reduction activities. Along with the Government of the Philippines and the international community, the Government of Canada is currently assessing the evolving needs in typhoon-affected areas, including longer-term rehabilitation, reconstruction and development priorities for the affected communities. Initial assessments suggest that during the reconstruction phase, the greatest needs will relate to livelihoods and permanent shelter. The Government of the Philippines has set a November 2017 end date for the reconstruction phase. Canada will assist the Philippines with reconstruction efforts during this critical period.
Further Canadian Actions to Address the Impact of Typhoon Haiyan
In addition to the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund, the Government of Canada:

• Provided an initial allocation of $30,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to help launch relief operations (on the day the typhoon hit);
• Provided $5 million in support to humanitarian organizations for emergency relief activities at the outset of the crisis, as well as deployed relief items such as tents, blankets, water purification tablets and shelter kits from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development’s emergency stockpile;
• Supported the deployment of a Canadian Red Cross medical team and field hospital to provide emergency health support in the Philippines;
• Deployed elements of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to support relief efforts in the region by providing clean water, medical assistance and logistical support. The DART addressed the pressing needs on PanayIsland;
• Deployed eight Canadian humanitarian experts to support Red Cross and United Nations humanitarian agencies in response to the typhoon, through an existing DFATD stand-by arrangement with a Canadian NGO partner;
• Deployed four Canadian disease specialists (epidemiologists) from the Public Health Agency of Canada at different stages of the crisis as part of the Global Outbreak Alert Response Network. The epidemiologists worked with the World Health Organization in the Philippines on a coordinated health response. The team assisted the Philippine’s Department of Health to identify and make recommendations on how to mitigate the risks to public health in the wake of the disaster;
• Deployed two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers to the Philippines as part of the Interpol Incident Response Team. The officers assisted in the development of an Interpol disaster victim identification plan;
• In addition, Canada prioritized the processing of Filipino applications on request from those who were significantly and personally affected by Typhoon Haiyan;
• Officials in Ottawa and on the ground at the Embassy in Manila provided Canadian citizens with updated information about the typhoon. Consular teams went to areas affected by the typhoon to ensure the well-being of and provide assistance to Canadian citizens. The Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa responded to more than 700 calls and e-mails from concerned Canadians.

Canadian Development Assistance in the Philippines
Canada has a long track record of providing development assistance in the Philippines. In the Fiscal Year 2012-2013, Canada provided over $16 million in official development assistance to the Philippines. This funding enhanced sustainable economic growth by improving the enabling environment for investment and building economic opportunities for the poor. Longer-term development programming will continue alongside Canada’s significant response to the typhoon disaster.
Canada and the Philippines share strong and friendly bilateral relations, and Canada will continue to be a partner in reconstruction and long-term development efforts.