UN Coordinates
International Response to South
Asia Earthquake
“Pakistan needs real help following this unprecedented catastrophe – both in the longer term and in the immediate. Every delay in funding poses grave risks to thousands of injured, hungry, and homeless people. And, of course, the momentous task of reconstruction means that we must all work together for the longer term.”
- UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, December 15, 2005
Situation Overview
In response to the widespread devastation and humanitarian catastrophe caused by the massive earthquake which struck near the Pakistan-India border on October 8, 2005, the UN is coordinating relief and emergency supplies to the region. Approximately 74,000 have died, about 70,000 have been injured, and more than 3 million people are now homeless. Vulnerable to cold, hunger, disease and trauma, people in the earthquake-devastated areas remain in need of immediate relief and aid. The unprecedented logistical challenges of difficult terrain have been amplified by the heavy rains and snowfall, and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland stated that relief workers continued a “marathon sprint” to save lives.
Recent Developments
UN Secretary General Annan has appointed former US President George H.W. Bush as his Special Envoy for the South Asian Earthquake, to work to mobilize and sustain the commitment of the international community to the earthquake-devastated region.
As of December 29, 2005, the UN Flash Appeal of $550 million was funded with $240.7 million committed, and an additional $19.3 million pledged. This brings the total contributions and pledges to $260 million which is 47% of the requested amount.
The first phase of ‘Operation Winter Race’ has been completed and procurement of relief supplies is now underway for a second phase of ‘Winter Race.’ With heavy rains and snowfall, the top priority remains emergency and transitional shelter, and keeping people and their tents dry.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Disaster Relief Team in Pakistan have flown over 1,100 relief flights and delivered over 1,500 tons of relief supplies.
At the international donor conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, the international community pledged approximately $5.8 billion in assistance to earthquake-devastated Pakistan. Of the $5.8 billion, about $3.9 billion would be in the form of soft loans, with the remaining $1.9 billion comprising of grants.
At the UN-convened Meeting on Assistance to Communities Affected by the Earthquake in South Asia, donor nations pledged an additional $580 million which brings the total pledged to nearly $1.3 billion. Among the new pledges, $15.8 million will be specifically directed to the UN Flash Appeal.
UN Agencies Mobilize Relief to Victims
The UN has established a cluster approach to coordinate the humanitarian response with varying UN agencies and partner agencies taking the lead in ten clusters: Shelter (IOM); Food and Nutrition (WFP/UNICEF); Health (WHO); Water and Sanitation (UNICEF); Camp Management (UNHCR); Logistics (WFP); Protection (UNICEF); Education (UNICEF); IT/Telecommunications (OCHA/UNICEF/WFP); Early Reconstruction and Recovery (UNDP). Further details on the roles and response plans for each cluster can be found online at: http://earthquake05.un.org.pk/uploaddocuments/59South-Asia-FlashAppeal-2005-Earthquake-Update-26October2005.pdf
The following is a summary of several key UN agencies’ relief activities:
OCHA(United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) is coordinating the UN's response to the earthquake and has set up a center in the city of Abbottabad to feed thousands of survivors . It initially launched a Flash Appeal for $272 million which has been since increased to $550 million, to mobilize and coordinate international assistance. For more on relief efforts please see: http://ochaonline.un.org/
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) is directing the reconstruction and recovery sector and is focusing on providing immediate shelter, rebuilding schools and health facilities and supporting aid coordination through the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Pakistan. Looking ahead, the agency plans to concentrate on helping the community rebuild by focusing on self reliance, reducing future risk and strengthening institutional capacity. For more on relief efforts please see:http://www.un.org.pk/undp/
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) has appealed for $3.2 million to meet the maternal health, emergency obstetric care and emergency hygiene supply needs of tens of thousands of women, including pregnant women and those with newborns. UNFPA has set up nine mobile medical service units to provide urgent care for families and mobilized medical staff to assist local officials and restore medical service at several field health facilities. Also, Reproductive Health Kits have been ordered for a population of 1,000,000. For more on relief efforts please see:http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies/pakistan/
UNHCR(United Nations High Commission for Refugees) has appealed for $30 million for its South Asia earthquake operation which is part of the UN Flash Appeal, and has so far received $16.3 million. As the lead agency for camp management, UNHCR is supporting Pakistan authorities and NGOs in 37 planned camps with 57,742 people. With the winter setting in, UNHCR has boosted its winterization campaign to distribute relief materials which has so far provided over 2,000 tons of basic relief supplies including family tents, blankets, and plastic sheets for up to 3 million people from warehouses in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as from the agency's global relief stockpiles in Copenhagen, Dubai and Jordan. For more on relief efforts please see: http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/earthquake?page=home
UNICEF(United Nations Fund for Children) has appealed for $93 million in emergency aid which forms part of the overall UN Flash Appeal, and so far received $60.7 million. UNICEF relief supplies to the region include over 2,000 school-in-a-box kits to allow 140,000 children to continue their schooling and more than 23,000 emergency shelter kits. UNICEF has also worked with partners to reopen 487 schools and launched a measles immunization campaign targeting 800,000 children in order to prevent the spread of diseases as winter sets in. For more on relief efforts please see: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/pakistan.html
WFP(World Food Program) has appealed for $182 million to provide emergency food relief, including support for air operations for 1 million of the worst affected people for the next six months, and has so far received $67 million. W FP is operating out of two UN logistics hubs and at least four camps in the hardest hit locations and has delivered about 21,000 tons of food to 1 million survivors. The WFP Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment has confirmed that 2.3 million people require food assistance. Over the next six months WFP aims to transport 500 tons of food a day to several distribution points and WFP has now deployed the world’s largest helicopter capable of lifting 10 times the previous loads to fly relief supplies into the hardest hit areas. For more on relief efforts please see: http://www.wfp.org/english/
WHO(World Health Organization) has appealed for $27.5 million to provide health care throughout the winter which is part of the overall UN Flash Appeal, and just over half has been received. WHO is providing essential medicines, surgical equipment and New Emergency Health Kits (NEHK) to meet the health care needs of 270,000 people for three months. WHO field offices are operational in five of the most affected locations, and in Muzaffarabad, WHO has established a Disease Early Warning System, three vaccination centers, and mobile teams. The medical evacuation system is fully functional, the number of field hospitals with adequate operating capacity is increasing and WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health in the mobilization of 40 teams of surgeons and public health/environmental specialists. For more on relief efforts please see: www.who.int/hac/crises/international/pakistan_earthquake
Other International Relief Efforts
CARE initially launched its relief operations in Pakistan and India by sending tents, blankets, plastic sheets metal buckets and water containers from warehouses in Afghanistan and Delhi. For more on relief efforts please see: http://www.care.org/
ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) initially appealed for $48 million for its emergency aid programme. ICRC has delivered 4,850 tons of relief materials to over 204,000 people. ICRC has set up a medical structure of four satellite basic health units and ICRC has also expanded its team to over 180 expatriate staff and 730 national staff. ICRC is also working to restore family links of tens of thousands earthquake affected persons. For more on relief efforts please see: http://www.icrc.org/eng/south-asia-earthquake
IOM (International Organization for Migration) has revised its initial emergency appeal for relief assistance to Pakistan from $20 million to $60.5 million to provide desperately-needed emergency shelter, logistical support and medical assistance for six months. To date, IOM deliveries to the region have included winterized tents, blankets, mattresses, buckets and plastic sheets. For more on relief efforts please see: http://www.iom.int/
IRC (International Rescue Committee) emergency teams are delivering emergency supplies, administering critical medical care and counseling services and beginning crucial water and sanitation assistance in hard-to-access villages and hamlets in quake-ravaged areas of Pakistan. For more information on relief efforts please see: www.theIRC.org
MSF (Doctors Without Borders) has airlifted more than 1,150 tons of relief supplies to Pakistan, including medical items, logistical material, and shelter. About 120 international staff and 350 local staff, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, logisticians, and water-sanitation specialists are working in MSF’s earthquake operations at 12 permanent locations in Pakistan. In India, MSF has distributed blankets, plastic sheeting for shelters, tents, clothes, bottles of water, food, and medical supplies. For more on relief efforts please see:http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Oxfam initially sent an aid flight worth almost £200,000 which carried a 40 ton cargo of water tanks, blankets, winter clothing and tarpaulin for constructing temporary shelters. To date, Oxfam has assisted over 280,000 people with water and sanitation needs, winterized tents, and hygiene kits. For more on relief efforts please see:http://www.oxfam.org/eng/
For a list of other organizations and NGOs responding to the victims of the earthquake in South Asia, please visit InterAction’s website: http://www.interaction.org/south_quake/
