Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09USUNNEWYORK35
2009-01-21 21:29:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USUN New York
Cable title:  

OCHA OUTLINES NEXT STEPS FOR HUMANITARIAN

Tags:  EAID PHUM PK PREF WFP 
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VZCZCXRO1865
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUCNDT #0035 0212129
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 212129Z JAN 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5663
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 2129
RUEHRO/USMISSION UN ROME IMMEDIATE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 3494
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1336
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 2412
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 0005
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 0005
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 0007
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000035 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM PK PREF WFP
SUBJECT: OCHA OUTLINES NEXT STEPS FOR HUMANITARIAN
COORDINATION IN PAKISTAN

REF: A. STATE 4353

B. ISLAMABAD 78

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000035

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM PK PREF WFP
SUBJECT: OCHA OUTLINES NEXT STEPS FOR HUMANITARIAN
COORDINATION IN PAKISTAN

REF: A. STATE 4353

B. ISLAMABAD 78


1. Mission officers met January 21 with Rashid Khalikov,
Director of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) in New York, to discuss concerns over the
current UN response to the growing needs of populations
displaced by conflict in Pakistan. Khalikov will travel to
Pakistan from January 26 through February 3 with two other
OCHA staff. OCHA's goals for this mission are: a) review
humanitarian needs and identify corresponding priorities for
the OCHA office in 2009, b) identify resources needed to
support coordination activities and review OCHA's office
structure accordingly, and c) review the feasibility of
setting up an Emergency Response Fund in Pakistan to enable
more timely responses to sudden needs.


2. Khalikov noted that he plans to brief donors in Islamabad
both upon arrival to Pakistan and at the conclusion of the
mission. He offered to meet separately with officials from
the US embassy if requested. While in the capital, he plans
to meet with Pakistani civilian and military officials, the
UN Resident Coordinator, heads of UN agencies and NGOs. The
OCHA team will travel to Balochistan and Peshawar over the
course of the week to meet local officials, aid agencies and
visit IDP camps.


3. OCHA's decisions on next steps will flow from this
assessment mission, but Khalikov believes that OCHA will
likely send a senior official (P-5 level) to Pakistan to
assist the Resident Coordinator in managing the humanitarian
response to the growing needs of internally displaced. OCHA
plans to draw from their roster to place an individual in
Islamabad immediately while the search for a long-term
candidate is under way. Khalikov speculated that a further
two international OCHA staff would be deployed to support
coordination efforts.


4. Khalikov stated that the UN's Humanitarian Response Plan
(HRP) is under revision and expects the new document to be
released within a week. A decision has been made to expand
and extend the current HRP through November 2009. The
revised HRP will ask donors for significantly more funding to
support IDPs and will include projects from a number of NGOs
that had not participated in the initial plan. Khalikov
requested USG assistance in seeking financial contributions
from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states towards the HRP.


5. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) already
contributed nearly $7 million to the Pakistan HRP for IDPs.
Khalikov noted that there are no plans to funnel further CERF
funding to the Pakistan emergency for the moment. However,
he noted that CERF could consider further contributions to
agencies in Pakistan if donor response to the revised HRP is
insufficient. OCHA's mission will also study the feasibility
of an Emergency Response Fund (ERF),a pooled funding
mechanism, for Pakistan. He requested USG financial support
for the ERF should one be established for Pakistan. He
further requested USG financial support for OCHA's operation
in Pakistan as it begins to increase the size of its staff.
Wolff