UNOCHA DISCUSSES IDPS AND HUMANITARIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001100

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2019
TAGS: IO PREF PHUM PINR PK PTER PREL PGOV
SUBJECT: UNOCHA DISCUSSES IDPS AND HUMANITARIAN
COORDINATION IN PAKISTAN

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 78

B. SECSTATE 4353

C. USUN NEWYORK 29

D. ISLAMABAD 468

Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d).


1. (C) Summary. On May 20, Ambassador met with Rashid
Khalikov, the New York Director of the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),and Manuel
Bessler, the Pakistan OCHA Director, to discuss the current
internally displaced persons (IDP) situation. With the May
2009 revision of the UN Humanitarian Response Plan to be
released next week, Khalikov noted the Government of Pakistan
has been difficult about approving the revision out of fear
that Pakistan will appear to be a country in conflict.
Khalikov requested USG assistance in bringing the IDP crisis
to the forefront of an apparently unresponsive international
donor community. Khalikov agreed that OCHA would lead the
IDP donor community coordination effort, which is becoming
increasingly urgent, but asked for assistance from the U.S.
Embassy, and he discussed options for bringing a Humanitarian
Coordinator to Pakistan, including the possibility of
establishing the position of Executive Representative for the
Secretary General. End Summary.

GOP DRAGGING FEET ON UN APPEAL
--------------


2. (C) On May 20, Ambassador met with Rashid Khalikov, the
New York Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),and Manuel Bessler, the Pakistan
OCHA Director, to discuss the current crisis with the
internally displaced persons (IDPs). To assist with the
approximately 1.5 million IDPs, the UN has quickly
reconfigured its Humanitarian Response Plan; however,
Khalikov noted that the Government of Pakistan (GOP) has been
difficult about approving it and allowing the revisions to
move forward. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been
reluctant to grant full approval of the appeal out of fear of
Pakistan appearing to be a country in conflict, like Sri
Lanka. The policy planning office at the MFA drove home this
point by demanding to have the revision scrubbed of all
phrases alluding to "armed groups," "armed conflict,"
"militant fighting," and "militant hostility" before approval
would be granted. Khalikov explained that OCHA partially
complied with the request in order to have the revised appeal
move forward but that this terminology is also required for
issuance of the previously approved appeal and would have to
be revisited soon. Ambassador assured Embassy assistance in
speaking with the MFA to have this roadblock removed in light
of the crisis at hand.

LACK OF INTERNATIONAL DONORS
--------------


3. (C) In a recent meeting, Khalikov said Lieutenant General
Nadeem Ahmad, GOP IDP Assistance Coordinator, informed him of
the current IDP situation from his standpoint and the growing
list of outstanding needs. Nadeem noted that Malakand
Division has a high water table and fears that with the rise
in heat and the July monsoon season, many of the current
UN-led IDP camps will flood, spreading the potential for
cholera and malaria outbreaks. Additionally, he plans to
find ways to assist those IDPs standing in registration and
distribution lines, including tents for shade and water, but
he requires international assistance. Nadeem also told
Khalikov he believes that when the GOP begins military
operations in the southern agencies within the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) that approximately 300,000
additional IDPs will come forth needing assistance. (Note:
Nadeem revealed that his sources told him that 3500 IDPs have
moved recently from South Waziristan into DI Khan and into
the Punjab. Press has reported that 1500 families have moved.
End note.)


4. (C) Referencing the Nadeem conversation, Khalikov
requested assistance from the USG in putting Pakistan's IDP
crisis to the forefront of the international donor community,
which he sees as remaining "in denial" to the situation.
Noting that the USG has provided the majority of the funding

ISLAMABAD 00001100 002 OF 002


for the appeals to date, he requested help in getting the
larger donor community to fully understand the magnitude of
the IDP situation, pointing to current and future concerns if
funding requirements are not met. Ambassador pledged USG
support in this endeavor but requested that OCHA take the
lead on donor coordination in Pakistan by calling a weekly
meeting for donors where details could be fully discussed.
(Note and Comment: Khalikov pushed back some on the idea of
OCHA leading this effort, noting that it would be more
fruitful if the Ambassador called upon like-minded Chiefs of
Mission and held a coordination meeting behind closed doors.
We will continue to press OCHA and seek out a Nordic embassy
to do the "small group." Donor coordination is becoming a
serious roadblock to implementation. The UN has to provide
this coordination. End note and comment.)

CREATION OF HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR
--------------


5. (C) Understanding the current leadership structure of the
Pakistan UN Mission and the sensitivities involved,
Ambassador, once again, requested that a Humanitarian
Coordinator position be created in Pakistan. (Note. The
current Resident Coordinator for the Pakistan UN Mission is
dual-hatted as the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) as well, and
given his rank and seniority within the UN, Geneva is
reluctant to remove his HC status and continues to promise
additional staff to assist with the UN humanitarian relief
efforts. The additional staff has yet to be provided. End
note.) Stressing this point, Ambassador noted that the
Embassy could assist with the coordination efforts but that
an experienced OCHA member must be named HC to lead. (reftels)


6. (C) Khalikov noted the three options that are currently
available: OPTION 1 would be to fully replace the current
Turkish Resident Coordinator, an option which Khalikov views
as messy and extreme. OPTION 2 would be to appoint one
current UN agency representative to serve as the Humanitarian
Coordinator while continuing to lead his/her assigned agency.
Ambassador pointed out that this option is no better than the
current leadership structure in that the humanitarian
coordination responsibility is too complex to have someone
not solely focused on managing it. OPTION 3 would be to
appoint a Special Executive Representative for the Secretary
General, who would lead the humanitarian effort while having
a small unit within his office to also assist UN Political
Envoy Jean Arnault. This person would be at the Assistant
Secretary General level and would have direct access to the
federal Cabinet; however, this position would also replace
the current Resident Coordinator practically speaking and
would require getting past major GOP resistance for its
creation due to their fear of looking weak on the global
stage.


7. (C) Comment. Ambassador has requested the creation of a
Humanitarian Coordinator multiple times with various UN
officials and in a number of action requests. However, the
sensitivities surrounding the seniority of the current
Resident Coordinator have trumped all efforts. In that the
humanitarian situation in Pakistan has hit crisis levels,
Ambassador urges Washington to consider OPTION 3, assuring
Khalikov that we will couch the proposal as a suggestion from
the USG and not OCHA. We anticipate, however, that
Pakistan's MFA would resist this idea. Pakistan's mission in
Geneva seems to be a particular problem, focusing far more on
the perceived slights to Pakistan's sovereignty than on the
IDPs. Although the Pakistan UN Mission has been a great deal
more responsive during this most recent IDP crisis, it
continues to remain in reaction mode with a very apparent
lack of humanitarian coordination. End Comment.
PATTERSON