PAKISTAN: UN STEPS UP STRUGGLE TO GET CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER MASS DISPLACEMENT

A shortfall of around $20 million in educational funding is hampering efforts to get Pakistani children back to school in the aftermath of the mass exodus in the north-west of the country during the recent conflict in the area, the United Nations humanitarian arm announced today.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) reported that only 17 per cent of all activities covering the educational needs of children affected by the conflict in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) are currently funded.

Many children who have returned to the region have found that some 550 of their former schools have been damaged or destroyed, including 147 girls' schools.

With the recent start of the new school year, a group of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), led by the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) – is working to help provide access to education for all children affected by the emergency.

OCHA has reported in recent weeks that around 1.6 million of the more than 2 million people who fled the military offensive against militants in NWFP have now returned to their homes, stressing that there is an urgent need to provide school supplies and school tents for the new academic year until pre-fabricated shelters arrive for more than 500 schools in Swat and Buner districts. UNICEF has already dispatched 100 school tents to the two districts, enabling a number of returning children to start the year.

The children's agency has also prioritized the repair and rehabilitation of 3,565 primary schools damaged from hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) – estimated to benefit over half a million children – with nearly 1,000 schools already refurbished and the work on another 900 under way.

In addition, an 18-month 'Welcome to School' initiative, designed to get around 532,000 children into school and keep them there, is slated for Swat, Buner, Lower Dir and Malakand districts.

The scheme will create temporary learning spaces in tents, makeshift shelters, rented buildings or through "second shift" arrangements in nearby schools. Agencies working in education will also provide education supplies to all schools in conflict-affected districts and work to get all children in school, including those who have never attended schools, especially girls.

UNESCO CHIEF VOICES ALARM AT ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the recent killing of a television journalist in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and urged authorities to ensure the safety of media professionals in the South Asian nation.

Sadiq Bacha Khan, a correspondent of Aaj TV and former President of the Press Club of Mardan, was shot dead on his way to work on 14 August.

"This crime is a blow to freedom of expression and freedom of the press," said Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to put a stop to the killing of journalists, which has become particularly alarming in North West Frontier Province," he added.

Mr. Matsuura also paid tribute to Mr. Khan's "courage and commitment" both to his profession and to helping the inhabitants of NWFP, which has been the scene of a major displacement crisis prompted by the Government's military offensive against militants in the region.

According to the International Press Institute, 11 journalists have been killed in Pakistan over the last two years, six of them in NWFP.
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UN AGENCIES DISCUSS EARLY RECOVERY EFFORTS WITH PAKISTANI AUTHORITIES

United Nations officials have wrapped up a mission to Swat district in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to discuss the strengthening of humanitarian assistance to those uprooted by military operations in the region, as well as early recovery efforts.

"We met district authorities and national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and established the need for early recovery activities to start as soon as possible," said UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Mogwanja, who led the mission.

"So far the humanitarian community has distributed food and health kits but we want to expand our assistance," he stated.

As of last week, the Pakistani Government estimated that around 1.6 million of the over 2 million people displaced by conflict in NWFP had returned to their villages.

Over half of the returnees went back to the districts of Swat and Buner, among the areas hardest hit by the fighting, while the rest returned to Dir and Shangla districts.

During their mission to Swat, UN agencies gained a better understanding of the current situation and found that agriculture, education and health were of the highest importance, according to a news release issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

OCHA added that it is planning to open a satellite office in Swat that will work closely with the district authorities and other humanitarian actors on the ground.

The mission to Swat included representatives of OCHA, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

To assist the Government and the international community to respond to needs in the wake of the country's displacement crisis, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday announced the appointment of veteran French diplomat Jean-Maurice Ripert as his Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan.

Mr. Ripert, who is currently France's Ambassador to the UN, will be tasked with promoting a "strategic, coherent and comprehensive approach to supporting the humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction needs of crisis affected areas" in concert with the Pakistani Government and international partners.
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FEATURE: PAKISTANI HOST FAMILIES PLAY CRUCIAL ROLE IN UN AID EFFORTS

Their names may not make headlines or their faces grace television screens, but to United Nations officials and hundreds of thousands of their fellow Pakistanis, people such as Haji Akbar and Shahzaman are the true heroes of what is one of the largest displacement crises in the world today.

They are among those who have opened up their homes in an unprecedented show of generosity to accommodate men, women and children uprooted by the military operation conducted by Government forces against militants in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

At the height of the crisis just a couple of months ago, the vast majority of the more than 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were either sheltering in schools and other public buildings, with host families or in rental accommodations.

"The everyday people of Pakistan are the real heroes of this current crisis in Pakistan," according to Martin Mogwanja, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan.

"They are opening the doors of their often modest homes, sharing what they have, no matter how little, no matter how it strains their often modest budgets. True humanitarians, they set an inspiring example of extraordinary generosity for the whole world."

Haji Akbar did not know any of the men, women and children who arrived at his doorstep one morning in April, or how long they would be staying. But that did not deter the farmer in Swabi district from helping them in their time of need.

"I was extremely happy that I was being able to provide [a] service to my brothers and sisters," says Akbar, whose family of 14 hosted 60 displaced people for two and a half months.

"It was for the first time in my life that I received so many guests at one time to live in my house," he told the UN News Centre, on the eve of the first annual World Humanitarian Day, to be observed on 19 August.

"I invited them to stay with me and when they came in I realized there were a lot of people to accommodate so we decided to shift to my brother's house to leave the whole house for our guests."

The displaced who were living in camps received relief supplies there. Meanwhile, the UN set up humanitarian hubs for those staying outside the camps where they could come on certain days to pick up food rations and other items.

In addition, agencies such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) provided tents – to extend living spaces and alleviate crowded conditions – as well as food rations, hygiene kits and latrines.

"There's absolutely no doubt that the fact that people were taken in by host families helped to save lives," says Ariane Rummery, spokesperson for UNHCR in Pakistan. "To accommodate over 2 million people in camps would have been much tougher."

UN humanitarian chief John Holmes had a chance to see the "host-community phenomenon" first-hand when he visited areas of NWFP last month, including the village of Jamal Garhi, in Mardan district, where there were as many displaced people as residents, and in one case, one family was hosting some 95 displaced people.

"I think that's not untypical," he said following the visit, adding that it has been "a remarkably generous response – partly for traditional, cultural reasons – by the local population in parts of North West Frontier Province."

Mardan resident Shahzaman and his family of 15 accommodated 30 relatives in their five-room house for two and a half months.

"In these testing times, if we will not provide them shelter where should they go? They were in trouble… they were not a burden to us. We felt proud to host them," says Shahzaman.

He and his family did receive some UN assistance to cope with the influx but it was still not easy. "With very limited resources, we had to cut most of our own needs. There were budgetary constraints in hosting such a large number of guests.

"I am a low-paid government servant, so this was a big challenge for us," he adds.

The Pakistani Government estimates that some 890,000 displaced persons have returned since mid-July to their villages in the districts of Buner and Swat – among the areas hardest hit by the military operations.

For many of the host families, the experiences shared over the past several months are ones they will not soon forget.

"Our families made friendships and when they were leaving we were very sad," says Akbar. "Two and a half months in the same place is a lot of time… we miss them."
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Pakistan - ICRC Bulletin - Pakistan: ICRC assists Waziri displaced for first time

This week, the ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society are providing food and other essential items for over 2,500 people who have fled Waziristan. Humanitarian operations in NWFP and other parts of the country are ongoing.

"The fighting in Waziristan has resulted in displacement, but our ability to assist the population in the district itself is affected by a difficult security environment," said Benno Kocher, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Peshawar. "That is why we have opened an office in Bhakkar, on the east bank of the Indus, from which we can step in to help those in need at short notice."

While many Waziris seeking to escape the aftermath of the fighting are reportedly staying with relatives or in their own "winter homes" in Dera Ismail Khan, the most vulnerable have been forced to flee further, some of them to Baluchistan. There, many have found refuge with relatives or rented their own accommodation. Some have had to move into a small camp recently set up in Zhob. As in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), going to a camp is a last resort for internally displaced people (IDPs) who have run out of alternatives.

In the past few days, the ICRC has delivered food and other essential goods to about 2,500 displaced people in and around Zhob and Killasaifuallha, in Baluchistan, in a bid to stave off further impoverishment.

"These people are running down their savings," explained Imran Mehmood, the ICRC's field officer overseeing the operation. "With this aid distribution, we are trying to prevent them from selling their possessions to purchase basic necessities."

Dir

In agreement with the authorities, the ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent are setting up a new camp, Khungi Sha, for internally displaced people in Timergara. The aim is to free up schools, which have hosted many displaced people over the last few months, so that they can admit students for the new academic year which started this week. The camp could eventually host up to 4,000 people. Part of the infrastructure and equipment used in Swabi Camp, which has now closed, will be transferred directly to Timergara. The ICRC stands ready to open more camps should the need arise owing to new arrivals from Maidan, Bar Malakand and Upper Dir.

Even though the security situation remains volatile, the ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent managed to distribute food and soap to almost 20,000 displaced people in Dir this week, most of whom are staying with host families. ICRC staff toured several camps in the district to identify new arrivals, better understand the problems they face and give them the opportunity to make free phone calls to relatives.

Swat

The return to the areas south and east of Mingora has involved more people and occurred more quickly than expected. Even though the situation in the district capital and the surrounding area has improved, it remains tense and security is volatile. Markets have re-opened. Food, including fruits and vegetables, is available, and prices are falling as more goods trickle in. However, most local residents missed this year's wheat harvest and many of the returning displaced people ran down their savings while they were away. Movement into and out of Swat remains difficult. Many families in Mingora are still waiting to return to their homes in western parts of the district that remain inaccessible because of the security situation west of the Swat River.

The ICRC continues to provide food and medicine to the Saidu Sharif Central Hospital in Mingora and to support the Pakistan Red Crescent's health work in the area. The Pakistan Red Crescent is now running a medical facility in Kanju Township, across the river, which treats about 400 patients a day. Many are brought in by three Red Crescent ambulances. Together with their mobile medical unit, which carries doctors and essential medical equipment to the field, the Pakistan Red Crescent is providing basic health care for around 100,000 people in Kanju and 12 nearby villages.

The ICRC is concerned not only about the plight of those who have come back to Swat without being able to return to their homes, but also about the hundreds of thousands of Swatis living west of the river in volatile areas still under curfew. They have been cut off from the rest of the district for about three months and are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Buner

The ICRC was able to return to the district this week. ICRC delegates observed that many displaced people had returned. The delegates also visited a new camp in Daggar, built in response to new displacement from an area where fighting is currently taking place. The people in the camp, who fled their homes and lost their livelihoods, are in urgent need of assistance.

Malakand

The ICRC is continuing to provide support for the large number of displaced people in the district, most of whom have opted for living arrangements outside camps. The organization distributed food and other essential goods, including soap, to over 30,000 displaced people this week, including many newly displaced from volatile parts of Lower Dir. The bulk of the ICRC's assistance is provided in the places where most displaced people have chosen to go.

Peshawar

The ICRC Surgical Hospitaladmitted 23 new weapon-wounded patients over the last week. The ICRC also continues to support a programme run by the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences in Peshawar (Hayatabad).

Swabi Camp

By 29 July, Shah Mansoor Camp, the only camp for the displaced run directly by the ICRC in conjunction with the Pakistan Red Crescent, was empty. Its population of almost 20,000 left within two weeks. Most of them have returned to the districts they came from, though some have been unable to reach their homes. Nearly 3,000 have been transferred to Jalala Camp. Some displaced people have opted to move into private housing or accept accommodation with host families instead.

Raising awareness of mine hazards

Over the past week, more than 10,000 displaced people in camps have been informed about the dangers of mines and other explosive remnants of war in order to reduce the risk of accidents when they return to their homes. Reports indicate that unexploded munitions are a genuine

PRINCESS HAYA OF JORDAN CALLS ON DONORS TO SUPPORT UN RELIEF EFFORTS IN PAKISTAN

Characterizing the ongoing crisis in north-west Pakistan as the largest humanitarian emergency in the world today, United Nations Messenger of Peace Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan has called for a massive international response to aid the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people forced to live in makeshift shelters.

In a televised message across the Middle East and elsewhere, Princess Haya urged the public to step up donations to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) operations, which provide support for over 2 million Pakistanis who have escaped the conflict between Government forces and militants in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

"Millions have been forced to leave, abandoning their homes, their communities and their loved ones," said Princess Haya. "They arrive needing everything: shelter, food, and medical care."

UNHCR said it is seeking to ease congestion by expanding camps, where the agency says around 10 per cent of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled, and ramp up assistance to people taken in by families in local communities.

High Commissioner António Guterres has said that hundreds of millions of dollars will be needed for the overall relief effort as a shortage of resources is already reducing the amount of shelter and other aid items reaching IDPs, the agency said in a press release.

"Only with your help, can UNHCR revive hope, assist with shelter and meet other basic needs. Please help UNHCR," said Princess Haya.

The UN and its partners launched an appeal for $543 million on 22 May, of which just over one-quarter has been funded, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said two weeks ago.
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GREATER DONOR HELP NEEDED TO ASSIST DISPLACED PAKISTANIS – UN ENVOY

A top United Nations humanitarian envoy wrapped up a two-day visit to north-west Pakistan today, calling on donors to step up their assistance to help the millions of people who have been uprooted from their homes by fighting between Government forces and militants.

The situation in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) is "unprecedented, both in terms of the speed and scale of displacement," said Abdul Aziz Arrukban, the Secretary-General's Special Humanitarian Envoy.

Some two million people have been displaced by clashes in the region since last August, according to the UN.

During his fact-finding mission, Mr. Arrukban visited Mardan district, where most of the people who fled Swat and Buner are taking refuge. While there, he stopped at a camp, which is a girls' high school currently sheltering internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as a distribution centre for relief items.

Most of the displaced are living with host communities, and he pointed out that the healthcare, sanitation and water systems in these areas "are under enormous strain."

Dozens of hubs distributing food, mobile health teams and fixed health centres have been established, as agencies have been endeavouring to improve conditions within camps.

"The humanitarian community is making a valiant effort to reach those in need, but they will not be able to sustain their activities unless they receive greater support from donors," Mr. Arrukban said, calling in particular on the member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to increase their assistance to Pakistan.

To date, nearly 40 per cent of the $532 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Pakistan has been funded.
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ICRC Operational Update - Pakistan - Thousands need food, water and medical care

Pakistan: Thousands need food, water and medical care

Humanitarian situation

The security situation in Dir and Swat districts, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), remains volatile. A curfew is still in place in Swat, where streets are almost empty and most shops remain closed. While the harvesting season is almost over, very few people are tending their fields. The population still does not have access to electricity, water and telecommunications. Most residents fled the fighting of the past weeks but an estimated 40,000 residents still live in Swat today.

"Every time we entered a village, hundreds of people asked for help", says Michael von Bergen, a delegate who took part in a convoy delivering assistance in Swat last weekend. "Those who did not leave are now desperate. They need food, clean water and working medical facilities". The ICRC, the only international humanitarian organisation active in Swat and Lower Dir, has started to assist residents there.

The organization is stepping up its support for people affected by fighting in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). It is working closely with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and other partners within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Following an appeal to donators on 4 June, the ICRC budget for its Pakistan operation stands at over 90 million Swiss francs, making the operation the organization's third largest worldwide.

The ICRC in Swat:

• The ICRC is again present in Swat since 3 June. The organization had worked in Swat prior this latest crisis;
• ICRC health team have supported Saidu Teaching Hospital in Mingora with a generator and fuel to re-establish its access to electricity. They also delivered food, medical supplies, medicine for 10,000 patients for three months and dressing materials. The ICRC evacuated six patients from Saidu Teaching Hospital in Mingora to the ICRC's Peshawar hospital on 6 June;
• Family links were re-established for 100 Mingora residents who had lost contact with relatives who fled south. The organization provided satellite phones to these residents since local phone lines are down;
• A food security assessment was undertaken in Swat as soon as the area could be accessed. The organization decided to respond rapidly and on a wide scale since it is the only international organization currently working in Swat.

ICRC main activities in relation to the crisis:

· Re-establishing family links between Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their relatives (over 1000 in the last month);

· Co-running Shah Mansoor IDP camp in Swabi, which is hosting 20,000 IDPs. Work is ongoing to improve living conditions. The ICRC and the PRCS are currently

preparing the camps for the onset of the monsoon;

· Supporting two PRCS camps in Malakand Agency (10,000 IDPS) and four in Lower Dir (13,000 IDPs);

· The ICRC's hospital in Peshawar is running at full capacity, providing care for 87

patients, 50 of whom are from Swat. 179 operations have been performed in the past week, including on patients evacuated from areas affected by fighting. The hospital is supported by the Finnish Red Cross.

ICRC/PRCS activities outside of Swat:

• Distribution of food in Shah Mansoor's Swabi camp on 9 June;
• Distribution of food and non-food items, including kitchen items, to over 13,000 IDPs hosted in PRCS camps in Lower Dir on 10 June;
• Distribution of food and non-food items to over 2,000 IDPs currently living with host families in Buner on 11 June.

The ICRC in Pakistan currently employs over 800 national staff and 100 expatriates.

UN AGENCY OPENS NEW CAMPS FOR PAKISTANIS FLEEING FIGHTING

UN AGENCY OPENS NEW CAMPS FOR PAKISTANIS FLEEING FIGHTING
New York, Jun 2 2009 12:00PM
The United Nations refugee agency said today it has opened two new camps in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to house thousands of people who took advantage of the lifting of a curfew over the weekend to flee fighting in the Swat Valley.

Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/home.html">UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva that most of the families fled the Mingora and Char Bagh areas in Swat district to seek refuge in n Mardan, Swabi and Charsadda districts of the province.

"To respond to this new influx, UNHCR, its partners and NWFP authorities have established two new camps in Charsadda and Peshawar districts. Sugar Mill camp, in Charsadda, received 400 families, or 2,400 individuals, yesterday and more people are expected to arrive today," Mr. Redmond <"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a250d2b2.html">said.

"Some families who arrived in Sugar Mill yesterday told our teams that they had been living in their basement for a month. They said they were about to run out of food when the curfew was finally lifted last Saturday and Sunday and they were told to evacuate the area. One family said they ate spinach and bread for 25 days before they were finally able to leave their home for safety," he stated.

"The displaced cited shortages of food and medicine as major problems for those who remain stranded in the conflict zone," Mr. Redmond added.

Yesterday, the UN said the number of people displaced by the conflict in NWFP has risen above 2.5 million, and a shortage of funds could cut relief services there.

More than two million people have been driven from their homes by clashes between the Government and militants in the past month, in addition to the 400,000 already displaced in fighting last year.

According to media reports, the Pakistani army has stepped up its offensive in the Swat Valley and other areas of the Province as part of its expanded campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaida.

Mr. Redmond said UNHCR provided relief kits for 850 families, including mats, plastic sheeting, kitchen sets, jerry cans, and blankets in the Sugar Mill camp. The local government provided tents and labour to clear the site, he said, and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is helping to install latrines.
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LACK OF FUNDS THREATENS AID TO PAKISTAN’S 2.5 MILLION DISPLACED, WARNS UN

LACK OF FUNDS THREATENS AID TO PAKISTAN'S 2.5 MILLION DISPLACED, WARNS UN
New York, Jun 1 2009 5:00PM
The United Nations said today that the number of people displaced by the conflict in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province has risen above 2.5 million, and a shortage of funds could cut relief services there.

UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York that the new figure, an increase of about 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) over last week's estimate, was based on numbers collected by the UN refugee agency (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a2010ce4.html">UNHCR) and Pakistani authorities, which are registering people both inside and outside camps.

More than two million people have been driven from their homes by clashes between the Government and militants in the past month, in addition to the 400,000 already displaced in fighting last year.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a briefing to the General Assembly today, emphasized the need for greater support to scale up the response of the international community and the Pakistani Government to the situation.

"The human suffering is immense," he said.

The UN and its partners launched an appeal for $543 million on 22 May, of which just over one-fifth has been funded to date. "If we do not get the rest of the funds, we will have to start cutting services," the Secretary-General warned, adding that there is a risk of a destabilizing secondary crisis.

According to media reports, the Pakistani army has stepped up its offensive in the Swat Valley and other areas of the North West Frontier Province as part of its expanded campaign against the Taliban and Al-Qaida.

Ms. Montas said that over the past week, five spontaneous camps have been closed with people moving into established camps.

"The existence of numerous spontaneous camps continues to be matter of concern as they impede registration procedures for IDPs," she said. "They also restrict their ability to receive relief supplies, services and information on long-term support."

Rising temperatures are making it more difficult for families to remain in tents, Ms. Montas added. To address the problem, UNHCR and the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) are attempting to provide facilities such as shaded areas, water points and toilets for IDPs living outside camps.

The UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/public/">UNFPA), for its part, has begun psycho-social support for women in camps of four districts – Lower Dir, Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda – through individual counselling and focus group discussions. The agency is also conducting general health, hygiene awareness and reproductive health sessions, Ms. Montas said.

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/pakistan_49840.html">UNICEF) is supporting 29 child-friendly spaces, engaging children in different learning, creative and recreational activities in 13 IDP camps, she said.

Ms. Montas added that water and sanitation conditions in IDP camps need urgent attention to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.
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UN RELIEF CHIEF APPEALS FOR FUNDS TO ADDRESS ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ PAKISTANI DISPLACEMENT

UN RELIEF CHIEF APPEALS FOR FUNDS TO ADDRESS 'UNPRECEDENTED' PAKISTANI DISPLACEMENT
New York, May 28 2009 7:00PM
Calling the scale of the displacement of civilians fleeing clashes between the Government and militants in north-west Pakistan "unprecedented," the top United Nations humanitarian official today called on donors to fund an appeal for over $500 million to help the over 2 million uprooted.

The violence, which broke out on 2 May, have driven more than 1.9 million people from their homes, on top of some 500,000 forced to flee violence in the area last year. Only 10 per cent of the total of 2.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the South Asian nation's north-west are living in camps, with the rest seeking shelter with relatives or in rented accommodations and public buildings, such as schools.

Last Friday, the UN and its partners launched a $543 million Humanitarian Action Plan, but Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters in New York today that the appeal is only 21 per cent funded.

"Our view is that this is not remotely sufficient," he said, adding that the world body and relief agencies will not be able to sustain their operations for more than another month unless they receive an influx of funds.

The UN, he pointed out, has stepped up efforts to provide assistance in key sectors such as health, education, water and sanitation, and health, by delivering latrines, food and other supplies, as well as building one dozen new camps for the displaced as numbers of IDPs are on the rise.

"We're already doing quite a lot," Mr. Holmes said, "but we recognize that we need to scale up this effort very significantly in line with the scale and speed of displacement and if we're going to do that, we're going to need additional resources."

He voiced concern over the people still in area of conflict, particularly the Swat Valley, but noted that he has no figures for the number of remaining civilians. "It's very important that all concerned respect international humanitarian law and do all they possibly can to protect civilians," he stressed.

The Under-Secretary-General also warned that the numbers of IDPs in Pakistan could further swell if the Pakistani Government begins military operations in Waziristan, in the country's south.

Among the most critical challenges facing both national and international relief agencies is ensuring that all of the displaced have been registered so that they can receive supplies and services available to them, according to a UN press release issued in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, today.

A key health priority is preventing the spread of disease due to overcrowding and unsafe water supplies, it said. Immunization campaigns for measles and hepatitis B kicked off last week, and the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/public/">UNFPA) plans to set up several additional sites to provide services to pregnant and new mothers and their babies.

"International funding support is critical to keeping this support going at this stage," said Fikret Akcura, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, adding that assistance for displaced families is necessary to ensure their access to sanitation and health services.
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BAN CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK IN PAKISTANI CITY OF LAHORE

BAN CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK IN PAKISTANI CITY OF LAHORE
New York, May 27 2009 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the bombing today in the Pakistani city of Lahore, in which some 30 people were reported killed and 250 wounded.

"No cause can justify such indiscriminate terrorist violence," according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3885">statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

The Secretary-General extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wished those injured a speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49793.html">UNICEF) has said that the number of people displaced by fighting in the country's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has now reached 3 million.

In an interview with UN Radio, UNICEF Pakistan's Deputy Representative, Luc Chauvin, warned that displaced civilians still face a humanitarian catastrophe unless the international community responds urgently to the recent appeal for funds launched by the UN and the humanitarian community.

On Friday, the UN and its partners appealed for $543 million to help those uprooted by the fighting between Government forces and militants in NWFP since 2 May.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR), about ten per cent of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in camps and the rest are staying with friends or in communal buildings, such as schools. The agency continues to assist the IDPs, including by providing tents and other urgent relief items.
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DISPLACED PEOPLE STILL STREAMING OUT OF PAKISTAN CONFLICT ZONE – UN

DISPLACED PEOPLE STILL STREAMING OUT OF PAKISTAN CONFLICT ZONE – UN
New York, May 26 2009 12:00PM
Clashes between Government forces and militants in north-west Pakistan are continuing to uproot people from their homes, with nearly 130,000 people being registered daily as displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR).

The agency <"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/media?page=home&id=4a1bbdbe2">said today that provincial government authorities have noted that the number of uprooted from the Swat, Lower Dir and Buner districts registered in a fast-track process since 2 May has now reached almost 2.4 million people. However, UNHCR cautioned that these figures are being verified and could change.

Currently, the federal Government and provincial authorities are discussing how to provide further aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) beyond the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond told reporters.

"Many people are still reportedly stranded in the conflict zones," he said, adding that the curfew in effect in the area is lifted for only several hours, with roads becoming quickly congested with people rushing to escape the area.

The fare for a bus ride from Mingora, in Swat District, to Mardan town to the south has tripled from 2,000 rupees, or $24, to 6,000 rupees, or $74, according to those who have fled.

Mr. Redmond said that his agency is working with the Government to build separate shaded communal areas for men and women in several camps to provide access to cool areas. In sectors where there is electricity, these spaces have electric water coolers and fans, among other items.

Along with its partner agencies, UNHCR has begun distributing bricks to families to build individual kitchen stoves – to allow them to cook their own meals with rations from the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) – in some camps. Until now, they had been eating cooked meals distributed by the Government.

"At the same time, UNHCR continues to witness many acts of generosity from the Pakistani community towards their fellow citizens," Mr. Redmond said, noting that one private donor contributed food packages for over 2,000 people in Jalozai camp, which now houses a further 50,000 newly displaced people since 2 May.

Meanwhile, others are donating food, clothes and mattresses to thousands of families taking refuge in schools, he said. One woman who now lives in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but is originally from Mardan, travels every weekend to her hometown to bring cash, clothes and tea she collects from her friends to give to the displaced people, Mr. Redmond reported.

UNHCR is also boosting assistance to people living in schools in Mardan and Swabi districts, and is also planning to help the many uprooted people sheltering with relatives, friends or in rental accommodations.
Over the weekend, 36 tons of relief supplies – tents, plastic rolls, kitchen sets, jerry cans, soap, generators, water tanks and purification equipment – were airlifted to Islamabad by the Italian Government and donated to UNHCR.

Additionally, a UNHCR relief bank in Nowshera has been receiving in-kind donations, such as sleeping mats and water coolers, from private donors.

Mr. Redmond said that the agency is continuing to purchase more supplies within Pakistan and to ship items from its stockpiles around the world, but underscored that it "urgently needs funds to accelerate the purchase of relief supplies for its operation."

Last Friday, the UN and its partners launched a $543 million appeal to help the nearly 2 million people who have escaped the violence in NWFP.

In a statement, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern that "Pakistan is currently witnessing rapid displacement on a massive scale."
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PAKISTAN: BAN CALLS ON DONORS TO FUND $500 MILLION APPEAL TO HELP DISPLACED

PAKISTAN: BAN CALLS ON DONORS TO FUND $500 MILLION APPEAL TO HELP DISPLACED
New York, May 22 2009 4:00PM
Urging the international community to show their solidarity with the nearly 2 million people who have been driven from their homes by violence in Pakistan's north-west, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the urgency of raising over $500 million to assist those affected by the clashes.

In the capital, Islamabad, today, the United Nations and its partners launched a Humanitarian Action Plan, appealing for $543 million to help the more than 1.7 million people who have escaped fighting between Government forces and militants in the Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) since 2 May.

"The Secretary-General is concerned that Pakistan is currently witnessing rapid displacement on a massive scale," according to a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3874">statement issued by his spokesperson.

Further, he stressed the importance of providing aid in partnership with the Pakistani Government and humanitarian agencies.

The UN has identified food, safe water, medical assistance and shelter from the sweltering heat as priorities, also recognizing the need for displaced children to continue schooling and for mothers and babies to access special health and nutrition assistance.

"The scale of this displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed, and has caused incredible suffering," said Martin Mogwanja, acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan. "We care calling for generous support from the international community, in addition to the assistance being provided by both ordinary families and the national authorities."

Responding to the Government's request for humanitarian help, today's appeal has been expanded to provide aid and protection to the newly displaced people as well as to the 550,000 people who had fled clashes last year in the same region.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a16b3d02.html">UNHCR) today reported that 200,000 of the more than 1.7 million recently uprooted people are living in camps, while the rest are staying with friends and family or in schools and other communal buildings.

With temperatures climbing to 45 degrees Celsius, the agency is working to provide shade above tents to protect the internally displaced persons (IDPs) – who have escaped from much cooler climates in the Swat Valley – from the intense heat.

Until now, the displaced had been receiving cooked meals from the Government, but to allow them to cook their own food, UNHCR is constructing kitchens in camps, as well as fabric screens around tents to provide women with more privacy, agency spokesperson Andrew Purvis said.

Outside the camps, UNHCR field teams have carried out assessments and have started handing out basic relief supplies in more than 700 schools where thousands of people are seeking refuge.

Highlighting the needs of nearly 70,000 pregnant women who have been forced to flee their homes by the recent fighting, the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/2727">UNFPA) is boosting its support for reproductive health care – centering on comprehensive maternal, neonatal and child health care and psychosocial support – for IDPs in NWFP.

The agency said that almost 6,000 women are due to give birth within the next month, with nearly 1,000 of them needing surgery for pregnancy-related complications.

"We are basing our help on the specific needs of women and families, with a focus on safeguarding human dignity," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA's Executive Director.

The agency, which is also operating mobile service units, voiced concern over the special risk placed on pregnant woman by the massive dislocation, exacerbating the already limited access to prenatal, assisted delivery and emergency obstetric care.
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Pakistan: Taliban, Army Must Minimize Harm to Civilians

Humanitarian Situation in the Conflict Area Deteriorating

May 18, 2009

(New York) - The Taliban's use of landmines and human shields and the Pakistani army's aerial and artillery attacks are placing civilians at unnecessary risk in the continued fighting in Pakistan's Swat valley, Human Rights Watch said today.

Residents in the town of Mingora, the epicenter of the fighting, told Human Rights Watch that Taliban militants have laid landmines in the town and prevented many civilians from fleeing, using them as "human shields" to deter attack. Pakistani forces appeared to have taken insufficient precautionary measures in aerial and artillery attacks that have caused a high loss of civilian life. Human Rights Watch expressed concern that food and medical supplies were not reaching the population in the embattled area.

"The Taliban's use of landmines and human shields is a sorry addition to their long list of abuses in the Swat Valley," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "They urgently need to let civilians leave areas of fighting."

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) provincial government, told the media on May 17, 2009, that almost 2 million internally displaced persons had been registered by authorities. The government feared the number would rise by another 500,000 in the coming days as fighting continued. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, described the situation as, "a massive, massive displacement in the world today." Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the Swat valley and adjoining troubled areas, and are unable to leave because of fighting.

Mingora residents told Human Rights Watch that fewer than 10,000 civilians remain in Mingora. Taliban forces have prevented many from leaving, while others are too infirm or poor, or are unwilling to leave. Several thousand Taliban remain in the town. The Taliban also continued to use battery-operated FM radios and patrols to communicate with residents and impose their authority.

Swat residents still in the valley and people fleeing into the towns of Swabi and Mardan told Human Rights Watch that the Taliban had laid landmines in eight places in Sohrab Khan Chowk, a square in the center of Mingora. Sharifabad, a village near the Haji Baba area about three kilometers from Mingora, has been mined in four places. Residents have seen the landmines being planted, and the Taliban told civilians that they would be blown up if they walked on them. The use of antipersonnel landmines - which are inherently indiscriminate in their targets - and holding civilians as human shields are serious violations of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch said that the Pakistani army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, had given appropriate instructions to the army on May 13 to, "ensure minimum collateral damage even at the expense of taking risks, by resorting to precision strikes." However, Human Rights Watch has received several accounts of high civilian casualties in Pakistani military attacks. On May 8, 35 people, including 14 children and four women, were killed when Pakistani army mortar shells and missiles struck the Shahdra and Wathke neighborhoods of Mingora. Reportedly, none of those killed were Taliban fighters.

On May 11, the military's aerial bombardment of Matta, a Taliban-controlled district in central Swat, resulted in the deaths of at least three women and eight children, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. Residents in the area said that on May 14, Pakistani armed forces attacked Taliban-controlled Takhtaband near the Mingora bypass road. Though residents said that civilians died in the attack, they had not been able to recover the bodies or ascertain the number of dead due to an ongoing curfew and the precarious security situation. The laws of war require warring parties to take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian harm and prohibit attacks that do not distinguish between military targets and civilians.

"If Pakistan wants to win not just the battle for Swat but also a sustainable peace, its armed forces need to minimize civilian casualties and suffering," said Adams. "The people of Swat will expect the Pakistani government and armed forces to protect their safety both during the fighting and afterward."

Human Rights Watch said that because the area where the fighting continues is a closed military zone with journalists and human rights monitors barred from entering, it is currently not possible to verify this information independently. Local journalists have left the area, and the army is not permitting Pakistani reporters or foreign correspondents to enter. The area is under indefinite curfew, lifted only to allow civilians to flee.

Human Rights Watch expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation in Mingora. The town remained without electricity and fuel, food supplies were dangerously scarce and all hospitals and medical facilities remained shut. Pakistani authorities should consider all possible mechanisms, including airdrops, to ensure that food, fuel, and medical supplies reach those unable or unwilling to leave the conflict area.

DISPLACEMENT IN PAKISTAN LARGEST AND FASTEST IN YEARS, SAYS UN REFUGEE AGENCY

DISPLACEMENT IN PAKISTAN LARGEST AND FASTEST IN YEARS, SAYS UN REFUGEE AGENCY
New York, May 19 2009 2:02PM
Almost 1.5 million people have escaped fighting between Government troops and Taliban militants in north-west Pakistan, the United Nations refugee agency said today, calling the displacement the largest and fastest to occur anywhere in the world in recent years.

According to the Social Welfare Department of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), 1.45 million people have been registered in 89 centres since 2 May.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a12d4482.html">UNHCR) António Guterres, who wrapped up a three-day visit to the area this weekend, has called on the international community for a massive influx of support to assist the surging numbers of uprooted people.

"It's like trying to catch something that's moving ahead of us because the number of people on the move every day is so big and the response is never enough," he said. "Leaving this population without the support they need – with such massive numbers – could constitute an enormous destabilizing factor."

Fewer than 10 per cent of the displaced are seeking shelter in camps, and the 1.5 million who have become internally displaced persons (IDPs) recently join over 500,000 others who fled clashes last year, bringing the total number of displaced to just over 2 million.

UNHCR has set up a relief bank and distribution centre in the NWFP town of Nowshera to both receive and hand out supplies such as pillows and soap. Similar centres are slated to open in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

The agency, in partnership with the World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/stories/pakistan-wfp-produces-innovative-solutions-amid-idp-crisis">WFP) and the Pakistani Government, has set up humanitarian 'hubs' where IDPs can register, receive supplies and be directed into available shelter within local communities.

For its part, WFP is dispatching record amounts of wheat flour, rice, sugar and pulses, and plans to send enough supplies to feed 1.5 million people.
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UN REFUGEE CHIEF APPEALS FOR MORE AID TO HELP UPROOTED PAKISTANIS

UN REFUGEE CHIEF APPEALS FOR MORE AID TO HELP UPROOTED PAKISTANIS
New York, May 14 2009 5:00PM
The top United Nations refugee official today issued a call for a massive surge in international assistance to help the over 800,000 Pakistanis recently displaced by clashes between Government forces and militants in the country's north-west.

"This is not a moment for small gestures," High Commissioner António Guterres said during a visit to the Yar Hussein camp in the Swabi district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

He kicked off a three-day mission to Pakistan today to assess the emergency response of the UN refugee agency (<"http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4a0c3f742.html">UNHCR), which has been rushing aid to the region, to stem the ongoing displacement crisis.

Deploring the pace at which the displacement is occurring, Mr. Guterres emphasized that the time has come for the international community to repay Pakistan for its generosity in hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the years.

Since 2 May, over 835,000 people have been registered as displaced, with fewer than one-tenth of them sheltering in camps. This is on top of the more than 500,000 people registered as fleeing their homes after earlier fighting in the north-west since last August.

Most of the uprooted are staying with relatives or friends, resulting in social and economic hardships, the High Commissioner said. "The dimensions of the problem are far out of proportion to the available resources."

While at the Yar Hussain camp, he spoke with refugee families, saw the registration of new arrivals and met with Pakistani aid workers.

He also visited a World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/stories/pakistan-wfp-reaches-650000-idp-population-grows">WFP) distribution centre, where he watched relief workers hand out food and UNHCR non-food items.

Earlier today, Mr. Guterres met with Najmuddin Khan, Minister for States and Frontier Regions, and Frida Wazir of the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees.

On Tuesday, UNHCR airlifted 120 tonnes of relief supplies – including 10,000 mosquito nets and 14,000 plastic sheets for emergency shelters – from its regional stockpile in Dubai.

Additionally, the agency has been working with Pakistani authorities and organizations to register and help the displaced.

For its part, the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) is working to support health services in camps as well as mobile outreach to cover those sheltering in host communities. Since 9 May, it has delivered 20 mini-emergency health kits – enough for 120,000 people for one month – to internally displaced persons (IDPs) at various sites in NWFP.

The agency has received over $500,000 from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to meet the health needs of the half million people uprooted by violence and natural disasters in the Province between August 2008 and March 2009 before the current counter-insurgency operation started two weeks ago.

The CERF money will support projects targeting the prevention and control of communicable diseases, the strengthening of health systems, and the provision of clean water and hygienic conditions.
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UN AGENCY READIES FOR HEALTH CRISIS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN

UN AGENCY READIES FOR HEALTH CRISIS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN
New York, May 13 2009 5:00PM
The United Nations health agency said today it is bracing itself for a humanitarian health crisis in north-west Pakistan as fighting between government forces and militants threatens to uproot a further 800,000 people taking the total number of displaced to well over a million.

The World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) has received over $514,000 from the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?alias=ochaonline.un.org/cerf">CERF) to meet the health needs of almost 550,000 people who had already been displaced by violence and natural disasters in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) between August 2008 and March 2009 before the current counterinsurgency operation started two weeks ago.

The CERF money will support projects targeting the prevention and control of communicable diseases, the strengthening of health systems, and the provision of clean water and hygienic conditions.

The agency reported some 22 disease outbreaks of varying severity since August, including acute watery diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea, measles, malaria, chicken pox and mumps. Fatalities related to waterborne diseases had also been recorded.

WHO also reported that over 4,000 of the 20,000 children under the age of five that they had surveyed in NWFP suffered from acute malnutrition.

Underfed children and women with low immunity are more likely to contract communicable diseases, especially in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and districts with compromised water and sanitation systems, WHO warned.

Meanwhile, a cargo jet charted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home">UNHCR) yesterday delivered 120 tonnes of additional relief supplies for immediate distribution to those fleeing the fighting. The supplies were taken to the agency's warehouse in Peshawar, and then distributed to various sites hosting displaced people.
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ICRC News Release - Pakistan: ICRC enters Buner for first time since onset of hostilities

ICRC News Release No. 09/101

13 May 2009

Peshawar (ICRC) – As fighting in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) continues unabated, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today entered Buner, one of hardest-hit areas, for the first time since the onset of hostilities.

With the consent of the parties to the conflict, ICRC staff took stock of the humanitarian situation and delivered medicines and surgical materials to the main hospital in the district.

"We went into Buner as soon as we could," said Dr Bart Janssens, the ICRC's health coordinator in Pakistan, who led the operation. "You can see the scars of recent fighting. There is no more electricity or clean drinking water. Most shops are closed. Goods on the market are scarce. The streets feel empty. The district is rapidly being emptied of its inhabitants."

In the coming days the ICRC hopes to bring more aid to the civilian population left behind. Its ability to do so, however, will depend on security guarantees being provided by all the parties to the conflict.

Over 500,000 people have fled conflict areas in the NWFP in recent days. The ICRC is working closely with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society to provide shelter, food, water, sanitation and health care for displaced people (IDPs) in the Malakand and Swabi districts. The ICRC is also attending to the needs of people left behind in Buner, Swat and Lower Dir.