On 9 July the Secretary of State for International Development wrote to a range of like-minded development Ministers urging them to offer generous support to the UN appeal for Burma which was to be launched the following day. The Secretary of State has also offered to support the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, in his efforts to encourage other donors to contribute more to the UN appeal. The Department for International Development (DFID) and Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) officials have followed up through bilateral contacts with other donors and in international forums.
The Secretary-General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, is also working to encourage other donors to increase their contributions to the Burma cyclone relief effort.