PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: THE ROLE OF NGOS IN THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ISLAMABAD 016827

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: THE ROLE OF NGOS IN THE
USAID/DART EMERGENCY RELIEF EFFORTS


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Summary
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1. The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
subscribes to the overall Government of Pakistan (GOP)
Federal Relief Commission (FRC) strategy that primary focus
at this stage in the relief effort should be placed on
providing in-situ shelter and food security support for
earthquake-affected residents. Through its non-governmental
organization (NGO) programming, the USAID/DART supports this
strategy with implementation activities that focus on
commodity distribution, shelter, water and sanitation,
livelihoods, protection, health, and education. The
USAID/DART has programmed its NGO funds judiciously to cover
the key sectors in critical geographic areas in a balanced,
strategic manner. End summary.

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Funding Strategy
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2. The USAID/DART subscribes to the overall GOP FRC
strategy that primary focus at this stage in the relief
effort should be placed on providing in-situ shelter and
food security support for earthquake-affected residents.
Secondary focus should be placed on camp-based needs for
those who come down from higher elevations due to their
inability to endure the harsh winter conditions. This dual
strategy both addresses the priorities of the locals and
implements a fail-safe mechanism to assure survival.


3. USAID/DART field reports as well as reports from NGOs
indicate that much of the earthquake-affected population
will remain in place, but a significant number will move
down to lowland areas to reside in both spontaneous and
organized tented camps. A two-pronged strategy provides the
best means to address both situations.

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NGO Programming
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4. Through its NGO programming, the USAID/DART supports
this overall strategy with implementation activities that
focus on commodity distribution, shelter, water and
sanitation, livelihoods, protection, health, and education.
As of November 10, nine international NGOs have been
selected to receive an approximate total of USD 20 million
through USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
(OFDA). The activities funded in these grants emphasize the
primary focus of in-situ shelter, livelihoods, health, and
education. They also cover camp-based needs in water and
sanitation, livelihoods, health, and protection. U.N.
organizations have received more than USD 12.9 million in
OFDA funding in response to the earthquake. In addition,
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) have received
USD 8 million in OFDA funding. OFDA has funded NGOs and
U.N. organizations in order to target affected populations
in rural and urban areas, respectively.


5. The USAID/DART is regularly meeting with the country
directors of the NGOs currently receiving USAID funds to
discuss their issues, bottlenecks, and collective means of
maximizing impact. The USAID/DART believes that targeting
NGO activities to the greatest needs of the two-pronged
strategy, and facilitating frequent discussions to optimize
and possibly redirect activities, represents a targeted yet
flexible means of addressing the greatest needs in the
relief effort of Pakistan.


6. This support to NGOs has been provided in a deliberate,
phased manner. The USAID/DART has committed three tranches
of funds. The first round total was approximately USD 22
million, including support for four U.N. agencies: the U.N.
Children's Fund (UNICEF),the U.N. Joint Logistics Center
(JLC),the U.N. World Food Program (WFP),and the U.N. World
Health Organization (WHO). Through this first round of
funding, the USAID/DART also committed support to IOM, ICRC,
and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC),primarily for cluster-based
coordination and technical support. The second round total
was USD 11.5 million, provided to Action Contre la Faim
(ACF),ACTED, Catholic Relief Services (CRS),GOAL, and the
International Rescue Committee (IRC) to kick-start field
activities in non-food item distribution, shelter, water and
sanitation, health, education, and livelihoods.


7. The third round of proposals is currently under review.
For this round, international and local NGOs have submitted
approximately 25 proposals. The USAID/DART, including its
technical experts, is carefully scrutinizing these proposals
to ensure focus on strategy, high-quality implementation,
appropriate geographical distribution based on need,
accountability of funds, and current gaps. Various
proposals passed the initial screening for the third round,
and thus far three are recommended for funding.


8. The USAID/DART is utilizing maps provided by the U.N.
and U.S. military to determine where to meet the needs of
the earthquake-affected population. The USAID/DART is also
encouraging NGOs to work in the most affected areas. Before
approving funding, the USAID/DART undertakes checks to
ensure that NGOs do not overlap coverage.


9. These three tranches of grants constitute a step-by-step
approach in order to ensure that NGOs are not only working
effectively but also are able to address the emergency
relief needs that evolve over the course of this disaster
relief operation.

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NGOs and GOP Military Relations
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10. While NGOs typically tend to be critical of government
responses in disaster situations, the USAID/DART's NGO
partners have praised the GOP military's participation in
this disaster. NGOs active in this disaster response have
indicated that the GOP military is distributing tents in an
appropriate manner and in critical need areas. Despite
media reports to the contrary, USAID cites reports from NGO
field representatives to assert that the GOP military has
assumed a great deal of responsibility in the relief efforts
and performed well under difficult circumstances.
Not only has the GOP military proven effective in this
exercise in terms of its reach and responsiveness, but it
has also been keen to learn from the donor community best
practices in addressing technical issues such as camp
management, relief commodity distribution, and water and
sanitation interventions.

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USAID/DART Collaboration with NGOs
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11. The USAID/DART thus continues to work closely with NGOs
that have potential to be effective in this context, and
will achieve the balance of providing strong and effective
support to the relief efforts while exercising flexibility
and judiciousness in the use of available resources.


CROCKER