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USAID Assistance to Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan

An IDP family drives back to their host family's home in a riksha, with the relief items they got from UNHCR and WFP in the humanitarian hub in Swabi. IDPs were displaced in May from Swat, Buner and Lower Dir districts following confrontations betwen militant Taliban groups and governmental forces. As of May 29, 2.5 million people had been displaced by the conflict. Photo Credit: H. Caux , UNHCR

September 22, 2009

Fact Sheet #31, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 (PDF, 87kb)

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• According to the Government of Pakistan (GoP) Special Support Group (SSG), the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had registered and verified nearly 383,000 internally displaced families in Pakistan as of September 21, including more than 264,000 families that have returned to areas of origin in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
• In mid-September, staff from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) returned to Swat District, NWFP, to distribute food and soap to approximately 35,000 people in Kabbal municipality with support from the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS). ICRC representatives had been unable to access Swat District since August 4.
• On September 17, a representative from USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) participated in a U.N. Logistics Cluster capacity-building exercise to review operational objectives in Pakistan and discuss project implementation and lessons learned.

CURRENT SITUATION

• Humanitarian agencies continue to report on and respond to new population displacement related to ongoing military operations in the Bara subdivision of Khyber Agency, FATA.
• Approximately 95 percent of previously displaced individuals have returned to areas of origin in Swat, Buner, and Upper and Lower Dir districts, NWFP. However, less than 48 percent of individuals displaced from Bajaur Agency and 12 percent of displaced individuals from Mohmand Agency, FATA, have returned to conflict areas, according to the GoP SSG.
• According to the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, 20 internally displaced person camps remain open in NWFP, including 13 camps in areas of return and 7 remaining in hosting districts. As of September 17, displaced person camps in NWFP housed a total estimated population of 24,687 families.
• To date, four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and four international organizations supported by USAID/OFDA are active in Swat District, NWFP, providing food and relief supplies, and implementing livelihood recovery, agriculture, health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs.

  New Displacement and Registration

• According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), military operations in Khyber Agency, FATA, have displaced 8,000 to 12,000 families—representing between 56,000 and 84,000 individuals—since September 1.
• On September 22, ICRC reported that the conflict in Khyber Agency had displaced families within the agency, to Jamrud municipality, as well as to nearby towns in Peshawar District in NWFP. To date, the PRCS has provided assistance to approximately 2,400 displaced individuals in Khyber Agency, with ICRC support.
• A recent Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assessment estimated that approximately 87 percent of displaced individuals from Khyber Agency currently reside with relatives, and the remaining 13 percent have rented accommodations within the agency or in neighboring Peshawar District.
• According to OCHA, the charity wings of two local Khyber Agency political parties have established camps to accommodate displaced families. Jalala camp in Mardan District, and Jalozai camp in Nowshera District, NWFP, remain the designated contingency camps for new arrivals, although the NWFP provincial government has reported plans to establish an additional camp for individuals from Khyber Agency.
• On September 17, OCHA reported that the NWFP provincial government’s Social Welfare Department and the GoP SSG planned to begin registration of individuals displaced from Khyber Agency after the end of Ramadan, which occurred on September 20.

  Health and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

• According to OCHA, as of September 17, the Swat District Department of Health reported 17 of the district’s 75 health facilities as non-functional, including 13 basic health units and a rural health center.
• USAID/OFDA partners currently operate three mobile health units in Swat District to serve returning populations. As of September 14, medical staff at the mobile health units had treated more than 4,800 people, including nearly 2,000 individuals treated the week of September 7.
• Two USAID/OFDA partners are implementing WASH programs in Swat District; providing returning families with safe drinking water; distributing hygiene kits; and rehabilitating damaged or neglected water supply systems.
• In the coming weeks, USAID/OFDA partners plan to expand WASH activities to union councils located to the west of the Swat River, an area previously inaccessible to humanitarian organizations.

  Early Recovery and School Rehabilitation

• UNHCR and the U.N. Human Settlements Program (UN HABITAT) are currently procuring materials for the construction of 30,000 temporary shelters for families returning to Swat, Buner, and Lower Dir districts, NWFP. In addition to the shelter materials, the U.N. agencies plan to provide technical support and training for individuals constructing the temporary shelters. Pending improvements to the security situation, UNHCR and UN HABITAT also plan to provide a portion of the temporary shelters to individuals returning to Bajaur Agency, FATA.
• According to OCHA, as of September 17, U.N. Education Cluster members had rehabilitated 1,438 of the 4,749 school buildings in NWFP previously occupied by internally displaced persons. Cluster members continue to work to rehabilitate an additional 1,186 school buildings throughout the district.
• Since August 1, USAID/OFDA has provided approximately $25 million in assistance for early recovery activities, including programs to provide agricultural inputs to families returning to Swat District, vouchers to allow returning families to purchase needed commodities, and cash-for-work projects to rehabilitate schools and other damaged infrastructure.

  Emergency Food and Relief Supplies

• Between September 1 and 17, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) distributed 26,749 metric tons (MT) of food assistance to 260,593 families—or more than 1.8 million people—in camps, host communities, and areas of return.
• Beginning in October, WFP plans to increase the number of food assistance beneficiaries from 2.2 million to 2.4 million individuals, including approximately 200,000 people who remained in affected areas throughout the conflict.
• WFP staff recently reported that in-country stocks and expected food arrivals will meet increased food needs through September and October. However, WFP staff members have indicated that additional donations may be required to avoid food aid shortfalls in the coming months.
• To date, the USG has provided more than $96 million in food assistance to WFP, representing approximately 50 percent of the total donor contribution for food assistance to conflict-affected populations in Pakistan. According to USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP staff in Islamabad, USG-provided food assistance will continue to arrive in Pakistan through early 2010.
• The ICRC continues to provide food and relief supplies to more than 55,000 individuals in camps and host communities in Upper and Lower Dir districts, NWFP. In addition, joint ICRC–PRCS teams recently distributed food and soap to nearly 12,000 displaced individuals residing in Rangmala camp and with host families in Malakand District, NWFP.

USAID AND STATE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO CONFLICT-AFFECTED POPULATIONS

• On October 20, 2008, U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson redeclared a disaster due to continued humanitarian needs resulting from civil conflict and displacement in Pakistan and requested USAID/OFDA assistance.
• On May 15, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Pakistan to support GoP relief efforts, manage the humanitarian response, and coordinate with the humanitarian community. On May 18, USAID activated a Washington, D.C.-based Response Management Team (RMT) to support the DART. USAID demobilized the RMT and the DART on July 10 and 12, respectively. USAID/OFDA maintains a three-person field office in Pakistan to continue monitoring the situation and respond to evolving humanitarian needs.
• In FY 2008 and to date in FY 2009, USAID/OFDA has provided more than $106 million in humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations in Pakistan.
• To date in FY 2009, USAID/FFP has provided 62,730 MT of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food assistance, valued at approximately $58 million, to WFP emergency operations.
• To date in FY 2009, USDA has provided or committed $44 million in assistance to conflict-affected populations through the Food for Progress program and in cooperation with the GoP Ministry of Agriculture. USDA assistance includes 50,000 MT of wheat, valued at $19.5 million; 6,800 MT of oil, valued at $11.2 million; and $13.3 million to WFP for associated costs.
• To date in FY 2009, USAID/Pakistan has provided more than $8.9 million in assistance to conflict-affected populations, including support for the provision of relief commodities, as well as livelihoods, infrastructure rehabilitation, education, health, agriculture, shelter and settlements, economic recovery and market systems, and WASH activities.
• In FY 2009, State/PRM has provided $59.6 million to UNHCR and the ICRC for the provision of relief commodities, as well as camp coordination and management, health, protection, humanitarian coordination, shelter, and WASH activities.
• To date in FY 2009, DoD has provided approximately $3 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, including the provision of water trailers, halal meals, air-conditioned tents, and generators.

For detailed information on U.S. Government humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, click here

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