UN calls for funds to address ‘unprecedented’ Pakistani displacement

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 (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.