Laundrylist of Tsumani shortfalls - BBC NEWS

Shortfalls in

1. Amount of aid pledged. "For a start, the amount of aid on offer is not necessarily going to be enough. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has reported a difference between the $7.7 billion it estimates that India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka need and the commitments received of $3.54 billion."
2. Absorption capacity. "The capacity of a country to absorb the aid might be limited."
3. Flexibility of gifts. "Conditions are set by donor countries that slow or prevent work." (See #4.)
4. Ability of recipients to commit. "Donor frustration emerges after a time when governments even switch the funds to meet other needs." (See #3.)
5. Putting aside differences for the common good. "Indeed, particularly in Sri Lanka, the government and the rebels have had trouble in coming together to agree on the distribution of aid and each side is vying for prestige and influence."
6. Putting those in need ahead of yourself. "However, a proposal from the European Commission has been blocked by Italy and France. They feel that the overall plan would open the EU's doors to too many cheap imports from the Far East generally.
   The EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson remarked to the European Parliament: 'I regret that, in some cases, member states said explicitly that Europe should put domestic interests above all else.' "
7. Delivering on pledges. "The Asian Development Bank said there was a shortfall of more than $4bn (£2.1bn) promised for rebuilding India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka....The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, has told the BBC that his country has not yet received any of the money promised by governments - although people all over the world had been generous in their contributions. "
8. Coordination. "Mr Kuroda said aid agencies and governments needed to improve their co-ordination and spend the money in a predictable, transparent, strategic and effective manner. 'Given the scale of the recovery, even with our best efforts at co-ordination, the potential for gaps, overlaps and duplications is significant.' "
9. Clean and competent government. "He called on the countries receiving aid to fight corruption and make sure that the money was spent wisely."