Madrid, 14 December 1995

I am delighted to join all of you gathered in Madrid for the Humanitarian Summit. I want to especially thank Queen Sophia for hosting this important meeting. The King & Queen have consistently identified themselves with humanitarian efforts throughout the world and I am grateful that I was able to see them during the President's visit to Madrid. I want also to thank Commissioner Bonino for inviting me to participate in this conference and for the leadership energy and vision she has given to making this Summit possible. I am sorry that I cannot be whith you to learn from your efforts. I know that the American delegation headed by Brian Atwood the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development will convey the President's commitment to the cause of humanitarian assistance. In working together on a blueprint for the next decade of Humanitarian programmes you have set an ambitious goal in this time of declining budgets and increasing humanitarian crisis. International resources both fina

nces and human must be focuses as effectively as possible.

As all of you know so well, the number of refugees and displaced persons around the world has risen to a level unseen since the affermath of World War 2. While the end of the Cold War allows many to rest easier, sadky it has not brought universal peace. Conflict, displacement and suffering continue in too many parts of the world and it is draining resources that might otherwise be invested in economic and social development. Last year for the first time in my nation's history of refugee & humanitarian assistance, well over 90 pont went to emergencies that humans caused themselves. These were not Acts of God and nature, but acts of violence or war. Old hatreds, some suppressed during the Cold War are erupting with new force.

The distinction between combatants and civilians has become blurred and the consequences are horrrifying. Hate becomes the fuel of violence, rape becomes a strategy of dehuminisation and the intentional maiming of children by snipers and land mines is an accepted tactic of war. In recent years the international community have become rivetted by the images of displaced men, women and children. Whether it is the outpouring of refugees into camps in Goma last year or the more recent movement of Serbs & Croats and muslim in the former Yugoslavia. These scenes remind us of the venerability of people who have lost not just property and home but often loved ones, security and human dignity. It also reminds how important it is to maintain our financial commitment to humanitarian assistance programmes.

The Clinton administrator has worked hard to insulate the US refugee and humanitarian assistance programmes, now funded at over $1.5 billion per year. From many significant reductions in 1996 I am happy to report that we do have the support of members of congress from both political parties. While we work on ways to strengthen our ways to response to disasters and also deal with the factors that cause them. As I hope your declaration will underscore witch 800 million people in the world seriously undernourished and 13 million people dying each year because of hunger related illness, there is clearly a great deal to be done to decrease the tension that lead to conflict. Leaders around the world are beginning to understand the special toll that disasters take on women and children. Women and children comprise overer 70 pent of those displaced by disasters and I applaud your efforts to highlight the unique and difficult challenges of responding to their needs. We must all understand that women are not only the

victims of disasters but also those who must continue to care for their families in the midst of such disasters. Using women as the distributers of food in refugee camps and giving them control over their families most precious commodities can improve their situation considerably. Social investments, and specifically investments in women directly address the root causes of humanitarian crisis. Throughout my own travels from South Asia to Lotin America I have seen where women prosper families prosper and where nations prosper nations prosper aswell.

Over the last decade we have seen new proof that international commitment, collective action and cooperation between governmental and non governmental organisations can help us avert crisis. Cooperation amongst many countries prevented a famine in Southern Africa in 1992. Bangladesh has shown the effectiveness of the systems that can alert us to disasters ahead of time. And throughout the world the NGO community has played a critical role in lessening the threat and treating the conditions of crisis in Africa and elsewhere.

President Clinton's Greater Horn of Africa initiative holds another key to our approach to such crisis. It recognises that problems such as lack of food are apart many disasters. Under African leadership the initiative tries to integrate the US and other donor resources to address the root causes of conflict and food shortages rather than continuing to treat the symptoms. Your task is a tremendous one I know, but it is a task that must be pursued. When we turn our backs on human suffering than we ourselves become less human and our common aspirations for the future and our children grow dimmer. It is my hope that this meeting will shed new light on the ways we can join together on the ways we can join together to manage a crisis effectively and use diplomatic initiatives and social and economic development to prevent crisis from happening in the first place. You have our greatest and best wishes. We appreciate so much your commitment to this task and wish you God speed.

Thank you.