The December 2004 tsunami was one of the worst natural disasters in modern history, killing over 230,000 people, destroying 430,000 homes, and inflicting some $10 billion in damage in the space of a day. Since then, billions of dollars in relief and reconstruction aid have been pledged by governments, organizations, and individuals around the world—but is the massive infusion of money really reaching the people who need it?

 What sort of progress has been achieved in the areas devastated by the tsunami over the last twelve months? How effectively are the multiple authorities—from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the United Nations, and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to local governments—coordinating their efforts on the ground? Can short-term disaster relief be translated into lasting economic development?

These and other questions will be the subject of an AEI panel discussion, co-hosted by NGO Watch. Panelists include Sheba Crocker, deputy chief of staff to the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for tsunami relief; James Bishop, director of humanitarian policy and practice at InterAction; James Kunder, assistant administrator for Asia and the Near East at USAID; and Greg Wilcock, first secretary for political affairs at the Embassy of Australia. AEI research fellow Vance Serchuk will moderate.