"We rely heavily on communications links to manage field operations, and to co-ordinate between staff on the ground and those at headquarters. We also need telecommunications for the security of our staff, co-workers and aid recipients in the field," says John Black, Head of Field Support and Telecommunications Service at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva.

Every effort is made to obtain the necessary authorizations when taking telecommunications equipment to the scene of a disaster or complex emergency. "We are always ready to pay an annual fee for the radios we use, and for the administrative charges of processing the paper work," said Jay Rushby, Head of Telecommunications at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, despite having the necessary authorization to use the equipment, he adds that "UNHCR is often faced by government officials who have not been informed about the allocation of frequencies or other agreed arrangements."

Herbert Frey, Head of Telecommunications Services at the International Committee of the Red Cross, says his organization experiences most of its problems relating to telecoms equipment during the clean-up operation which follows a disaster. "Generally, the more urgent the emergency, the easier it is to bring in telecommunications equipment. Difficulties only set in once calm and order have been restored."

"Frequently, military and security officials in disaster-affected countries do not look with a kind eye to our using telecommunications equipment in the field, because of lack of information or fears that such equipment could be used for other purposes," says Jean-Paul Lucot, a telecommunications engineer at the IFRC. In emergencies, the normal – and well founded – rules and regulations on the import and use of telecommunication equipment become a hindrance to effective response by rescue teams whose mission is to reduce loss of life, human suffering, and damage to property and the environment caused by disasters.

It is for these reasons that the proposed Convention on the Provision of Telecommunications Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations is so important. A legal instrument which can be adopted by governments to determine what, who and under what circumstances such equipment can be used, the Convention will serve to foster mutual trust and streamline the work of aid operations worldwide.

Representatives of international and intergovernmental organizations, such as the UNHCR and the ICRC, enjoy diplomatic immunity in the field, but the organizations are not, from a legal standpoint, considered as sovereign states. As the Convention will be a legal treaty binding a State to other States, a number of international organizations have expressed concern that they may not be able to benefit from the unimpeded and free use of telecommunications equipment once the Convention comes into force. However, these fears are unfounded, according to Hans Zimmermann, Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer with the United Nations.

Mr Zimmermann said the Convention will extend to cover the activities of other partners in the field of international assistance, such as international organizations and non-governmental bodies.