Laws, regulations and institutions are necessary, but not sufficient, for good governance. Other ingredients needed to bake that ‘cake’ well include the right to information, adequate public consultation and transparency in decisions and spending. These apply equally to governments, aid agencies and UN organisations.

Foresight is uncommon, but what is the excuse for not being wise in hindsight? For example, Sri Lanka’s new disaster law, adopted within months of the tsunami, has been criticised for its many deficiencies. As Dr Rohan Samarajiva, independent academic and a former telecom regulator, asked at the time: “The question is whether our people will have a few more minutes of warning and a little more knowledge on how to save their lives and those of their loved ones the next time. It may work; we have to hope that it will.”

Four years later, he still remains concerned. “A new disaster act may be a good way to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the tsunami,” he wrote in his organisation LIRNEasia’s blog a few weeks ago.

More support for doing something a little more meaningful to mark the 5th anniversary. Nalaka Gunawardene writes at: http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/164267/1/