FUNDS NEEDED TO REACH 2.6 MILLION DISPLACED PAKISTANIS WITH FOOD AID, SAYS UN

FUNDS NEEDED TO REACH 2.6 MILLION DISPLACED PAKISTANIS WITH FOOD AID, SAYS UN
New York, Jun 3 2009 3:00PM
Without the contribution of urgently-needed funds, the United Nations and its partners will only be able to feed the 2.6 million Pakistanis forced to flee clashes between the Government and militants for the next month or two, it was announced today.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA), the world body has less than half of the $280 million sought to meet the food needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan.

In addition, the $543 million Humanitarian Action Plan launched late last month is only 22 per cent funded.

OCHA also warned that current stocks of essential drugs will run out by the end of this month. There is already a shortage of hygiene kits and soap in all camps housing some 200,000 of the uprooted, it added.

The World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/hac/crises/pak/releases/3june2009/en/index.html">WHO) said today that the portion of the Action Plan dedicated to health needs is only 11 per cent funded.

There is a high risk of communicable disease outbreaks due to overcrowding, contaminated water, poor sanitation and inadequate health care provision, among other factors, WHO said, cautioning that a funding shortfall will impede abilities to detect and contain outbreaks.
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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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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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HEADS OF SECURITY COUNCIL COUNTER-TERRORISM BODIES STRESS NEED FOR STOCKTAKING

HEADS OF SECURITY COUNCIL COUNTER-TERRORISM BODIES STRESS NEED FOR STOCKTAKING
New York, May 26 2009 5:00PM
An important part of the work of the Security Council's counter-terrorism committees is stocktaking and reviewing efforts so as to ensure the effectiveness of United Nations sanctions regimes, the heads of three subsidiary bodies said today.

Indeed, one of the major initiatives undertaken by the Counter-Terrorism Committee, set up pursuant to resolution 1373, over the course of the last six months is the stocktaking exercise, its Acting Chairman, Jean-Pierre Lacroix of France, told a <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sc9664.doc.htm">meeting of the Security Council.

"Stocktaking allows the Committee to enhance its regular dialogue with Member States, and to further identify areas where the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) is still inadequate," he stated, adding that the exercise will form a major part of the Committee's work in the coming months.

The review process is also critical to the Council's 1267 (1999) Committee concerning Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions, particularly with regard to the names on the group's Consolidated List of individuals and entities subject to restrictions.

Committee Chairman Thomas Mayr-Harting of Austria said the review is essential to ensure the List is as accurate and updated as possible to help Member States effectively implement the sanctions.

A serious challenge facing the Committee is the growing number of cases before national and regional courts filed by listed individuals and entities who take legal action against the sanctions measures. "The review is therefore an important step towards both improving due process and strengthening the regime," Mr. Mayr-Harting said.

"By either removing names from the List where listing is no longer appropriate, or adding new identifiers and information regarding names remaining on the List, the review will help to improve due process and the quality of the Consolidated List and to implement the sanctions regime more effectively."

Another important aspect of the work of the three committees is enhancing cooperation among them, noted Ambassador Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica, Chairman of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) on combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors.

He said the Committee recently established a working group to promote information sharing, coordination on country visits and workshops, technical assistance and other issues of relevance to all three bodies.

"Terrorism and proliferation continue to be a daily reality and a threat to international peace and security faced equally by States and individuals alike," he stated. "Cooperation is therefore a crucial element in the efforts to counter the threat of terrorism, including that from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons for terrorist purposes."
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US: Obama Should Reconsider New Position on Guantanamo Detainees

The Obama administration's newly issued position on Guantanamo detainees is a disappointment, Human Rights Watch said today. Rather than rejecting the Bush administration's ill-conceived notion of a "war on terror," the Obama administration's position on detainees has merely tinkered with its form.

The administration's position was disclosed on March 13, 2009 in a court filing in response to a federal judge's order seeking a definition of the term "enemy combatant."

While the filing avoided using the phrase "enemy combatant," it did not jettison the idea that persons alleged to be involved in international terrorist activities were participating in a war. The filing instead relied on closely related phrases like "members of enemy forces" and "members of an opposing armed force."

"The Obama administration's take on detainees is essentially the Bush standard with a new name," said Joanne Mariner, director of the terrorism and counterterrorism program at Human Rights Watch. "At least for now, the Obama administration is claiming the power to pick up people anywhere in the world on the grounds of support for or association with al Qaeda or the Taliban, and to hold them in military detention for what might be the rest of their lives."

The only substantive difference from the position previously asserted by the Bush administration is that if the person's link to al Qaeda or the Taliban is support, that support must be "substantial." But membership is any of those organizations remains grounds for detention.

Human Rights Watch said that the only good news in the court filing is its emphasis that the administration's position is subject to change, as its comprehensive review of detention policy takes shape. It said that any detainees at Guantanamo who are implicated in terrorist acts should be prosecuted in federal court, which have proved capable of handling even the most sensitive and complicated such prosecutions.

"We urge the Obama administration to reconsider its views," Mariner said. "The administration should be prosecuting terror suspects in the federal courts, not looking for ways to circumvent the criminal justice system."