U.N. EXPLAINS THE DELAYED RELEASE OF 2010 HUMANITARIAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 002932 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV PINR PREL PTER PREF IO PK SUBJECT: U.N. EXPLAINS THE DELAYED RELEASE OF 2010 HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN REF: Islamabad 2880 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The U.N. has proposed a 12-month Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) valued at nearly $800 million - 14 percent larger than the 2009 PHRP. However, the Government of Pakistan (GoP) is concerned that releasing a large appeal will create the perception that the internally displaced person (IDP) situation in Pakistan has deteriorated. As a result, the GoP rejected the initial PHRP, asking the U.N. to reduce requests in every section but food aid, which was approved at $275 million. The U.N. is now planning to approach the GoP with a revised appeal that only covers projected humanitarian needs for the first seven months of 2010. Although the GoP is expected to request a further reduction, U.N. officials hope that the repackaged appeal will facilitate an agreement before the holiday break. The final U.N.-GoP meeting is scheduled for December 5; if no decision is reached by December 11, the U.N. does not expect to release the 2010 PHRP until mid-to-late January. End Summary. -------------- USAID-U.N. Meeting -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On December 2, USAID Acting Mission Director Hardy and USAID's Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) met with several U.N. heads of agency to discuss concerns associated with the delayed release of the 2010 PHRP, particularly as it relates to an imminent food pipeline break in early 2010 and anticipated donor funding streams in the coming months. -------------- The 2010 Appeal -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In draft form, the U.N. originally presented the GoP with a 12-month humanitarian appeal for 2010. The 2010 PHRP (the appeal) was valued at nearly $800 million in its original form, with approximately 34 percent allocated to food needs, 17 percent allocated to shelter and non-food items (NFIs),13 percent to health programming, 8 percent to community restoration (early recovery) activities, 6 percent to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and protection, and 22 percent for "other" humanitarian needs. ¶4. (SBU) To reach an agreement on the 2010 PHRP before the upcoming holiday break, U.N. representatives reported that U.N. agencies are currently engaged in detailed discussions with the Head of the GoP's Special Support Group (SSG),who is serving as a broker between the U.N. and the GoP. 
 -------------- How Does the Appeal Differ from Last Year's? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The 12-month 2010 PHRP (the appeal) in draft form was more than $100 million higher than the 2009 PHRP, which was valued at $680 million. Although the exact amounts requested by individual U.N. clusters for 2010 remain unknown, the U.N. has reported that several clusters solicited a higher proportion of the total appeal (compared to 2009). Among U.N. clusters that requested a higher percentage of total funding in 2010 are health, which increased by 7 percentage points; community restoration, which by increased 4 percentage points; nutrition, which increased by 3 percentage points; and agriculture and education, which both increased by 2 percentage points. ¶6. (SBU) The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) has confirmed the 2010 U.N. Food Cluster request to be $275 million - less than last year's request of $283 million. The 2010 request represents nearly 35 percent of the total 2010 PHRP and remains the only dollar amount approved by the GoP. -------------- GoP Issues with 2010 Appeal -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The GoP rejected the 12-month PHRP for 2010, asking that ISLAMABAD 00002932 002 OF 002 all U.N. clusters - apart from the U.N. Food Cluster - reduce individual requests by 10 to 15 percent. According to a representative from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),the Head of the SSG indicated that not only would the U.N. have to significantly reduce the total requested funding for 2010, but must also package the PHRP differently to address the stigma and sensitivities associated with releasing a large appeal - principally to avoid creating the impression that the IDP situation in Pakistan has deteriorated, when in fact more than 1.1 million IDPs have returned to former conflict areas. ¶8. (SBU) According to several U.N sources, the GoP also expressed immediate concerns with the amount requested by the U.N. Shelter and NFI Cluster, led by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In 2010, the cluster reportedly requested approximately $130 million for shelter and NFIs, representing 17 percent of the total 2010 PHRP. Although less than the 2009 request (which comprised 22 percent of the total appeal),the GoP believes the cluster's 2010 request to be inflated, inaccurately reflecting shelter/NFI needs among displaced families and returnees. ¶9. (SBU) On December 3, UNHCR informed USAID/OFDA that the request included at least 70,000 transitional shelters for returnees (one per family) and 1.5 million NFI kits (containing blankets, water containers, sleeping mats, etc.). Note: the high-dollar request likely reflects the high cost of transitional shelters compared to traditional tents. End Note. ¶10. (SBU) U.N. representatives indicated that the GoP Economic Affairs Division (EAD),in particular, has hindered the approval and release of the PHRP. According to the U.N., the EAD believes humanitarian relief funding and reconstruction/development funding to be mutually exclusive and that, dollar for dollar, donor funding through the PHRP would significantly reduce reconstruction and development assistance, particularly funding channeled through the GoP's Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The U.N. believes that the EAD may object to the high-dollar 2010 PHRP, even in its reduced form. -------------- Conclusion -------------- ¶11. (SBU) As a result of U.N.-SSG negotiations, the U.N. is now planning to approach the GoP with a revised appeal covering projected humanitarian needs for the first seven months of 2010, estimated at $520 million. The U.N. plans to revisit the issue in July, with a second appeal covering the last five months of 2010. Although the GoP is expected to ask for further reduction of the seven-month funding request, U.N. officials hope that the repackaged appeal will gain GoP support before the holiday break. The final U.N.-SSG meeting is scheduled for December 6; if a decision is not reached by December 11, the U.N. does not expect to release the 2010 PHRP until mid-to-late January. Patterson