LAUNCH OF 2010 HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002956 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV PINR PREL PTER PREF IO PK SUBJECT: LAUNCH OF 2010 HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN REF: Islamabad 2880 REF: Islamabad 2993 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Although the U.N. remains in discussions with the Government of Pakistan (GoP) to obtain a non-objection decision for the release of a seven-month 2010 Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP),the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is considering a "soft launch" - to donors only - next week. The official launch of the PHRP will depend on the outcome of a meeting between the U.N. and the Minister of State for the GoP Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to be held in the coming days. End Summary. -------------- Non-Objection Decision -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The U.N. does not require the approval of a host government to release a humanitarian appeal; however, the U.N. makes every effort to ensure that host governments will not explicitly object to their release. In cases where a host government does not consent to the release of an appeal, the U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs Sir John Holmes may decide, in consultation with the U.N. Secretary-General, to release an appeal despite a government's objection. ¶3. (SBU) Despite its efforts, the U.N. has not obtained a non-objection decision from the GoP for the 2010 PHRP. However, according to OCHA officials in Islamabad, the U.N. has not yet decided to officially launch the 2010 PHRP without the GoP's consent, primarily due to a pending meeting with the EAD Minister of State. -------------- Meeting with the EAD -------------- ¶4. (SBU) OCHA's Head of Office in Pakistan presented EAD officials with a seven-month PHRP, valued at approximately $537.5 million on December 5. Unfortunately, the EAD Minister of State did not attend the meeting. While the December 5 meeting was useful, the U.N. did not receive EAD's support nor a non-objection decision from the EAD Minister of State regarding the 2010 PHRP. According to OCHA, Sir John Holmes has reaffirmed his support for the $537.5 million PHRP and recently indicated that he is prepared to take the issue to the U.N. Secretary-General, if necessary. -------------- Potential Stalemate and "Soft Launch" of PHRP -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In a December 9 phone conversation with USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, OCHA reported that the U.N. has repeatedly requested a meeting with the EAD Minister of State. If a meeting cannot be arranged by December 15, OCHA indicated that the U.N. is preparing to conduct a "soft launch" of the 2010 PHRP (to donors only) at a scheduled U.N.-donor meeting on December 16, at which U.N. will provide donors with overall funding figures, an executive summary, a breakdown by U.N. cluster, and limited information on implementing partners. -------------- Conclusion -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Although the U.N. may consider a "soft launch" of the appeal to donors in the coming week, OCHA does not expect the official PHRP launch to occur until mid-to-late January 2010. However, if the U.N. obtains a non-objection decision before December 16, the U.N. may still be able to officially launch the appeal before the end of 2009. Patterson