PAKISTAN - EARTHQUAKE: USAID/DART COLLABORATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ISLAMABAD 017711

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE
DCHA/OFDA 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 WASH 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: USAID/DART COLLABORATION
WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE RELIEF EFFORT

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


1. Coordinating relief efforts and ensuring that USAID
implementing partners reach populations in need without
duplicating efforts are significant aspects of the USAID
Disaster Assistance Response Team's (DART) work. Given the
difficulties of this humanitarian operation, there is a need
for collaboration and the sharing of both resources and
information. The USAID/DART is collaborating intensively
with the U.S. military, other donors, the Government of
Pakistan (GOP) military, and other GOP entities. Members of
the USAID/DART have greatly facilitated collaboration in
areas of critical need. Coordination, collaboration, and
the sharing of information and material resources have
helped maximize the impact of the USAID/DART's field work
and programming. End summary.

-------------- -
Overview of USAID/DART Coordination Activities
-------------- -


2. Since October 10, the USAID/DART has been on the ground
in Pakistan to coordinate the humanitarian response to the
October 8 earthquake. The USAID/DART is supporting programs
in the areas of emergency and transitional shelter, water
and sanitation, livelihoods, and emergency health. The
USAID/DART is also supporting airlifts of relief
commodities, logistical activities, and coordinating U.S.
military contributions to the relief effort. Coordinating
relief efforts and ensuring that USAID implementing partners
reach populations in need without duplicating efforts are
significant aspects of the USAID/DART's work.


3. A number of difficulties, including damaged and
impassable roads, bottlenecks in the supply chain, and the
rapidly narrowing window of opportunity due to the onset of
winter, hamper the provision of humanitarian assistance.
Given the difficulties of providing assistance in this
setting, there is a need for relief agencies to share both
resources and information.

--------------
Collaboration with U.S. Military
--------------


4. The USAID/DART has collaborated intensively with the U.S.
military, other donors, GOP military, and other GOP entities
such as the Federal Relief Commission (FRC). The USAID/DART
includes a Military Liaison Officer (MLO) who, on a regular
basis, meets with U.S. military officers to facilitate the
distribution of commodities to both local and international
NGOs, as well as other organizations.


5. The USAID/DART has collaborated with U.S. Disaster
Assistance Center (DAC) officers in the planning of field
activities. The DAC shares its geospatial information on
vulnerable populations, based on criteria that include road
access, population density, earthquake-related damage, and
altitude. The USAID/DART is using this information to
channel NGO implementation activities to these most
vulnerable areas. The DAC has also provided satellite
photos that USAID/DART and its implementing partners use to
target and plan interventions.

-------------- --------------
Collaboration with NGOs and other relief organizations
-------------- --------------


6. The USAID/DART also collaborates with international
NGOs, UN agencies, and aid organizations of foreign
governments. The USAID/DART has met with the U.K.
Department for International Development (DFID),the
Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program (AusAID),and
the government of the Netherlands. The USAID/DART has
engaged in discussions and shared information with these
organizations on their strategies, program priorities,
performance of and support to the UN, and NGO funding. In
addition, DART is providing the part-time services of a
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coordinator to assist
the UN's humanitarian information center (HIC) to establish
base maps, obtain and interpret information on what donors
and NGOs are implementing in the field, and present them in
a format that will increase the efficiency and effectiveness
of the overall relief effort.

--------------
Collaboration with GOP military
--------------


7. The USAID/DART attends coordination and strategy
meetings-both sector level and gap analysis-with the FRC and
GOP military on a daily basis. The USAID/DART is a key
player in the determination of the most effective means to
support earthquake-affected populations. In the field,
USAID- and USAID/DART-funded NGOs collaborate extensively
with local GOP military officials. NGOs work under the
protection of the GOP military and provide technical
information to them in their execution of important relief
activities, particularly camp administration and the
distribution of food and relief commodities.

--------------
Collaboration in Affected Areas
--------------


8. The USAID/DART Field Officers (FOs) and Protection
Officer (PO) have greatly facilitated collaboration in areas
of critical need in Mansehra and Muzaffarabad. In these
areas, the FOs and PO have attended coordination meetings on
a regular basis, where they meet with USAID implementing
partners and other humanitarian relief agencies active in
the earthquake response to help plan and better target their
activities. The USAID/DART FOs and PO work with
implementing partners and others in the field to identify
and meet needs in order of priority and solve problems that
arise. Technical specialists in shelter, wat/san and
livelihoods also have collaborated extensively both in the
field and in Islamabad to coordinate and improve the overall
relief effort.

--------------
Conclusion
--------------


9. Taken together, all of the above coordination,
information sharing, and resource sharing activities have
helped to maximize the impact of the USAID/DART's fieldwork
and programming. The USAID/DART continues to seek further
collaboration with donors, NGO partners, U.S. government
organizations, and GOP organizations.

CROCKER