UNGA president voices deep concern over deaths of flood victims

The president of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, on Wednesday added his voice to those of other United Nations officials expressing sympathy and concern over the deaths of hundreds of flood victims in Thailand, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. The president "has expressed his deep sympathies, sadness and concern over the loss of hundreds of lives in Thailand, Cambodia and neighboring Southeast Asian nations, as a result of widespread flooding," Nihal Saad, the spokesperson for Al-Nasser, said at a news briefing here. "It is now believed that heavy floods have claimed the lives of hundreds of lives across the affected areas and left millions of people displaced and badly affected, especially in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam," she said. Beyond the death toll, millions of people have been displaced and badly affected, especially in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam, and Al-Nasser praised UN agencies and member states who are offering much needed aid. The UNGA president noted that improving disaster prevention and response remains one of key focus areas for the General Assembly's 66th session and urged all member states to do more to enhance the resilience and capacity of communities for dealing with major disasters, the spokesperson said. On Saturday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos voiced great concern over the rising impact of storms and flooding. On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Elisabeth Byrs, told reporters in Geneva that the world body was ready to assist the affected countries to respond to the disaster.