Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ISLAMABAD16741
2005-11-10 09:12:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: FIELD VISIT OF DEPUTY

Tags:  EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ISLAMABAD 016741 

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
SOUTH ASIA RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM
SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE
DCHA/FFP FOR JONATHAN DWORKEN
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER
ROME PASS FODAG
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH
NSC FOR JMELINE
EUCOM FOR POLA/J3/J4/J5
BRUSSELS FOR USAID PLERNER
NEW YORK FOR TMALY
SECDEF FOR SOLIC/PKHA, USDP/J3
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC FOR J3/J4/J5
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE FOR J3/J5

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: FIELD VISIT OF DEPUTY
DIRECTOR GREG GOTTLIEB

Summary
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ISLAMABAD 016741

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA
SOUTH ASIA RESPONSE MANAGEMENT TEAM
SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE
DCHA/FFP FOR JONATHAN DWORKEN
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER
ROME PASS FODAG
GENEVA FOR RMA AND NKYLOH
NSC FOR JMELINE
EUCOM FOR POLA/J3/J4/J5
BRUSSELS FOR USAID PLERNER
NEW YORK FOR TMALY
SECDEF FOR SOLIC/PKHA, USDP/J3
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC FOR J3/J4/J5
HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE FOR J3/J5

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AEMR ASEC MASS ECON KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: FIELD VISIT OF DEPUTY
DIRECTOR GREG GOTTLIEB

Summary
--------------


1. From November 2 through 9, Deputy Director of the
Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Greg
Gottlieb visited Pakistan to work with USAID Disaster
Assistance Response Team (DART) on developing programming and
staffing plans for next approximately 150 days of the
earthquake emergency. Mr. Gottlieb also visited several
field sites to discuss current programs and concerns with
partners, the government
of Pakistan (GOP) military, and others.

--------------
Staffing
--------------


2. The USAID/DART currently consists of 18 members with a
broad array of skills. The general approach is to maintain
critical functions in all program, technical support,
logistics, and administration as the USAID/DART pushes to
meet pressing needs for affected populations prior to the
onset of heavy winter. Several essential staff members are
rotating out close to the Thanksgiving holiday. The
USAID/DART has been working with the Response Management Team
(RMT) to develop a staffing plan for this critical period.
Most positions now have names assigned or proposed, and the

USAID/DART is confident that critical functions will be met
during the critical period. While the total number of
positions will likely diminish as certain functions are
collapsed into a single position, particularly for certain
logistics and administrative functions, all essential
functions will continue to be filled.


3. Staffing must be addressed, however, for the period of
January through April of calendar year 2006. Personnel for
at least two program officer positions and an administrative
officer position in Islamabad, as well as two field officer
positions outside Islamabad, must be identified to serve at
least for 90 to 120 days. It would be preferable if a
USAID/DART leader also served for the same period of time,
but it is foreseeable that experienced leaders could rotate
in and out for lesser periods.


4. The USAID/DART anticipates that it will need to maintain
an active and thorough presence at least through April 2006,
when the onset of spring will allow many people displaced by
the earthquake to return home, especially to remote areas,
and actively begin reconstruction. The presence of
longer-term staff will provide consistency of leadership to
partners and programs, and enable the USAID/DART to work on a
sustained basis with the USAID Mission on integration of
relief programs into reconstruction programs.

--------------
Programming
--------------


5. Focus over the next four to six weeks is on securing
populations through the spring. The USAID/DART will continue
to support shelter-in-place programs, particularly for more
remote areas. The USAID/DART is not downplaying the need to
prepare for many more people coming into camps, but it feels
that current programming must focus on supplying those who
will stay in place at higher elevations with shelter or
shelter materials adequate to get them through the winter.
The USAID/DART recognizes that many of those affected may
eventually come into camps, in which case the USAID/DART
intends to structure funding so that programs can be shifted
to camp situations if necessary.


6. Shelter will therefore be the focus of future funding,
along with water and sanitation, and livelihoods and
cash-for-work (CFW) programs. The USAID/DART is currently
reviewing proposals to add additional partners in geographic
areas that USAID is not now serving. The team is also
considering adding on to current grants to deepen and broaden
the reach of existing partners during the next six weeks. In
addition, the USAID/DART Shelter and Settlements Advisor
(SSA) is working with all current international NGO partners,
as well as the International Organization for Migration
(IOM),which is both a USAID/OFDA grantee and a cluster
leader, to develop an overall strategy. The USAID/DART SSA
has brought a high level of expertise to a situation still
lacking cohesiveness. The SSA has effectively persuaded the
GOP that tents are not the only solution to shelter problem.
The USAID/DART shelter strategy will help partners to focus
their efforts on appropriate approaches. It is clear that
partners are anxious for leadership in the shelter sector.


7. The USAID/DART will also focus on support aspects to
field programs, including support to civilian air operations.
The USAID/DART anticipates and sees the need forhJe?8@b true in every
place of
operation, the overall feeling is of a need for improvement.
The USAID/DART hopes that the arrival on November 5 of the
U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) Chief of Operations will bring about better
coordination between and by UN agencies. Moreover, the
USAID/DART will pursue discussions with OCHA on making U.N.
offices more operational. It appears that several U.N.
agencies, notably UNICEF and UNHCR, are still struggling to
define their roles as either advisors or operational
agencies, when it is apparent that they need to pursue both
aspects.
CROCKER