Starting 9 June 2008, a 250-strong Post Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) team is deployed to the Yangon division and Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) Delta. For the next two weeks, they will conduct assessments of the Cyclone Nargis-affected areas in the Delta.

A launch ceremony was held on 9 June to send off the joint assessment teams, which comprise personnel from the ASEAN Member States, Myanmar Government, the UN, international and local NGOs, Myanmar Red Cross and volunteers as well as experts from the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, who are supporting ASEAN for this exercise.

Chairman of the ASEAN-Myanmar-UN Tripartite Core Group (TCG), Deputy Foreign Minister of Myanmar, Kyaw Thu, speaking at the launch ceremony, expressed his full confidence in the close cooperation among the personnel from ASEAN, the UN and the Myanmar Government in this urgent and critical joint assessment mission.

The Myanmar Government has confirmed their commitment to provide the teams with 70 mobile phones, 25 vehicles and 20 boats for the assessment. The use of six World Food Programme (WFP) helicopters has also been granted to support the assessment while continuing the urgent relief efforts.

Briefing by the Advance Team members with moderator, Dr Puji Pujiono (centre).

Participants at the Launch Ceremony