LAUNCH OF 2010 PAKISTAN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 000406 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID IO PGOV PREF PREL ECON PINR PK SUBJECT: LAUNCH OF 2010 PAKISTAN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN REF (A): 09 Islamabad 2956 REF (B): 09 Islamabad 2933 REF (C): 09 Islamabad 2880 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. On February 9, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, joined by federal and provincial Pakistan government representatives, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),and a local NGO representative, launched the Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) 2010 in Islamabad. The Plan calls for USD 537.8 million over the six-month period from February through July 2010 to support the internally displaced (IDPs),the early recovery of returnees and those left behind in crisis-affected areas, and IDP-hosting families. A review of the IDP situation in June 2010 will determine the need for a second response plan for the final five months of 2010. The Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs conveyed the GOP's support for humanitarian assistance under the PHRP while making clear the government's priority is for donor funding for development and reconstruction assistance. End Summary. -------------- Highlighting Accomplishments in 2009 -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In launching the 2010 Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) on February 9, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Pakistan Martin Mogwanja began by presenting humanitarian assistance achievements in 2009. The humanitarian community assisted 3.1 million IDPs (2.7 million from Malakand, 300,000 from South Waziristan, and 100,000 from other areas of FATA) in 35 camps and countless host communities and also supported 2 million (of the 2.7 million Malakand IDPs) returnees in their home areas. Eighty-four thousand tents were distributed to out-of-camp IDPs. Eight thousand latrines were built for men and women; 400,000 non-food item (NFI) kits and 330,000 metric tons of food were distributed; and 500,000 people received clean drinking water. Five hundred clinics provided a total of three million medical consultations. Camp schools enrolled a total of 30,000 boys and girls for basic education, and 40,000 mothers were trained in infant-feeding and hygiene and sanitation practices. -------------- The PHRP for 2010 -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In a joint effort, 13 U.N. Agencies, 22 national NGOs (double the number in the 2009 PHRP) and 33 international NGOs, with representation from all the humanitarian clusters, developed a total of 169 projects to support the GOP in its effort to continue assistance to the remaining IDPs in camps and host communities and to support return to and early recovery in home communities. There are currently 1.2 million displaced and 2 million returnees. A total of $537.8 million is required to fully fund proposed PHRP activities with the bulk of funding needed for food assistance (USD 194.7 million); shelter and NFIs (USD 80.2 million); and health services (USD 73.5 million). Other activities proposed in the PHRP include community restoration (USD 45.6 million); water, sanitation and hygiene (USD 36.4 million); agriculture (USD 24.8 million); education (USD 22.1 million ); protection (USD 22.63 million) nutrition (USD 17.2 million); coordination (USD 9.6 million); camp coordination and camp management (USD 8.4 million); and logistics (USD 2.5 million). ¶4. (SBU) The planning assumptions of the 2010 PHRP include the following: -FATA will face continued instability and insecurity; -Constrained movement of vulnerable populations will limit access to assistance; ISLAMABAD 00000406 002 OF 003 -Humanitarian workers will face access restrictions and an insecure working environment; -Consultation with women to ensure gender mainstreaming and access to services will remain challenging; -The humanitarian situation may be further exacerbated by natural disasters and/or external factors affecting already vulnerable populations; -Early recovery activities will continue in Malakand Division where more returns are expected; -More displacements are expected from the FATA agencies; -Potential returns are expected during 2010 to South Waziristan and other FATA agencies. ¶5. (SBU) The HC noted that PHRP activities will be implemented in close consultation with provincial and district authorities and that strengthened monitoring and reporting systems will be put in place. (Note: increased government oversight of humanitarian activity was required by the GOP in return for support of the launch.) -------------- Comments from GoP Representatives -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar thanked the provincial government of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP),the Special Support Group, the donors and the international humanitarian community for their generous response to the IDP crisis. She highlighted the role of Pakistan as a frontline state in the war on terrorism and reminded the audience that 117,000 troops are deployed on the front lines. She said that the economy of Pakistan had suffered a PKR 34.5 billion (approximately USD 408 million) direct and indirect loss in the war against terror. She also pointed to the 380,000 debit cards distributed to the displaced. She noted that there can be no peace without development and no development without peace. She supported the launch of the PHRP and made clear that the government was committed to work with the humanitarian community to meet early recovery needs, but she also emphasized the government's priority on sustained development. She pointed to the need for peace-building and the importance of "a change in the modality" of assisting the displaced in order to win hearts and minds. Minister Rabbani Khar acknowledged that humanitarian access was a problem and that it will remain a challenge. She said that she hoped to address this challenge partially through the aforementioned changed implementation modality in the GOP's work with NGOs, but she did not elaborate. ¶7. (SBU) In closing, Minister Rabbani Khar asked the donor community to provide the resources needed for early recovery and even more so for development. While she acknowledged that two million IDPs still needed assistance, she stressed that development must begin now. ¶8. (SBU) The Director General of the NWFP Provincial Disaster Management Authority/Provincial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation & Settlement Authority (PDMA/PaRRSA),Mr. Shakeel Qadir Khan, representing the Chief Secretary, acknowledged the tremendous support from the humanitarian community. He added "we could not have done it without that." He noted that the coordination with the humanitarian community had vastly improved since last summer and that the PHRP provided means to improve the provincial government's capacity to handle the crisis. He further stressed that NWFP did not just host IDPs from NWFP but also from the FATA and noted that 65 percent of the IDPs overall, and over 90 percent of those in Jalozai camp, were from FATA. ISLAMABAD 00000406 003 OF 003 ¶9. (SBU) The Chief Executive of the local NGO called Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO),Mr. Harris Khalique, congratulated the PHRP team for the high quality of the "Plan". He stressed the need for consultation with local civil society and for improving the government's disaster response capacity. He reminded the audience that agriculture, education, and community restoration needed strong support and that these sectors were particularly important for women. -------------- Statements from Member Countries -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Five countries requested time for a statement: - The Russian representative recognized the challenging conditions and expressed appreciation for the effort made by Pakistan and the humanitarian community. He pledged $100,000 in support of OCHA and the PHRP 2010. - The representative of Switzerland noted that his country was looking forward to supporting federal and provincial civilian and military elements of the GOP. He thanked OCHA for its leadership, and the HC as well as the GoP for the close cooperation. - U.S. Coordinator for Economic and Development Assistance Ambassador Raphel responded to the concerns of both the UN and the GOP by assuring all present that the U.S. would respond generously to the humanitarian needs outlined in the PHRP but not at the expense of our support for and to the Government of Pakistan in its reconstruction and development efforts, and specifically to the multi-donor trust fund. She commended the strong collaboration between the GOP and the humanitarian community and praised the hospitality of the Pakistani people who welcomed the vast majority of the IDPs into their homes and communities. She highlighted ongoing humanitarian assistance needs and the extraordinary work of the UN humanitarians and their implementing partners at great risk and sacrifice. She commended the work of OCHA and the Humanitarian Coordinator and their Pakistani colleagues. - Japan congratulated the PHRP team for their excellent work and thanked the humanitarian community for their effort. He noted that Japan is pledging $50 million for U.N. programs with approximately half of the amount dedicated to humanitarian assistance. - The Netherlands thanked the PHRP team and the field staff, in particular those working in Jalozai camp. Referring to the "poster girl" for the PHRP and noting that his daughter was about the same age, he wished a safe return home for the IDP girl and all the displaced. -------------- Closing the Event -------------- ¶11. (SBU) To close the launch, presenters fielded five questions from the media, and the heads of U.N. Agencies made themselves available for individual interviews with the media. Questions concerned the level of funding received for the PHRP 2009, the need for transparency and accountability, the departure of some expatriate U.N. staff, and the perceived lack of involvement of National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and PDMA in response to the crisis. The HC eloquently gave the GOP credit as the sixth largest contributor to the 2009 PHRP, outlined the structures in place for monitoring and oversight, noted that none of the U.N. staff engaged in life-saving programs has been relocated, and indicated that the Provisional Disaster Management Authority, part of the NDMA, was the lead agency in the field. Patterson