Ramsey A. Rayyis, regional representative for the American Red Cross

People from across Mongolia travel to the monument of Eej Khad, or Mother Rock, to ask for their wishes to come true. They bring offerings of biscuits, milk and rice, as well as traditional drinks to splash at her feet, before walking three-times clockwise around her temple whispering their dreams into her ears.

Some ask for wealth or love or a bright future for their children. Others, mostly the nomadic herdsmen, only ask for two things: a bountiful harvest and a benevolent winter.

In the context of the Asia Pacific zone's demographic, socio-economic and environmental trends, the East Asia region is at high risk from a wide range of disasters and health emergencies.

There are five nations within the East Asia region: China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (RoK), Mongolia and Japan. The countries in the region are plagued with both the threat of major earthquakes and flooding, which recently has intensified caused by changing climate and typhoons, and the

6 October 2010

Madam Chair,

On behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), allow me to first congratulate you and the members of the Bureau on your election to guide the important work of the Committee during this session.

Madam Chair,

In three days of rich debate, we have

This Revised Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 1,312,669 (USD 1,323,610 or EUR 989,772) in cash, kind, or services to support the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) to assist 13,200 beneficiaries for six months, as well as preparing MRCS to respond to future disasters by replenishing stocks for 1,300 families. The operation will be completed by the end of October 2010, and a final report will be made available by 31 January 2011.

Appeal history:

- An Emergency Appeal seeking CHF 1,062,295 (USD 991,697 or EUR 744,243) in cash, kind, or services was launched on

The International Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation's disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters.

Summary: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) allocated CHF 400,000 (USD

- Planted area for the current season is estimated to increase

- Livestock dependent households suffered serious loss due to severe winter condition, Dzud

- Total cereal harvest of 2009 officially estimated at a record level

- Staple prices have come down in 2009 but remain higher than the pre-crisis period

Programme Summary:

The first six months of 2010 were characterized by two major earthquake events in Haiti and Chile that required a massive response effort, leveraging the full range of the Movement's disaster response resources, as well as its global coordination and technical assistance capacities. The response operations both demonstrated IFRC's capacity to scale up quickly through the deployment of a focused and flexible global surge capacity. A record number of ERUs were deployed to Haiti (21), as

Summary

Two years after the 2008 food crisis, food insecurity persists in 29 countries worldwide, and more than one billion people remain hungry or undernourished. However, concerted efforts by the global community to coordinate actions for food and nutrition assistance and to provide increased resources for sustainable agricultural development, along with country-led policy initiatives that include farmers' organizations