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| Ban Ki-Moon appeals urgent aid for refugees in North West Pak |
| Dharam Shourie/ PTI / New York May 29, 2009, 09:36 IST |
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With over two million people fleeing the war against Taliban in north-west Pakistan, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to the international community to urgently raise over $500 million to assist those affected by the clashes.
In Pakistan's capital Islamabad, the United Nations and its partners launched a humanitarian action plan, seeking $543 million to help the refugees who have escaped fighting between government forces and militants in Pakistan's tribal belt since May 2.
"The Secretary-General is concerned that Pakistan is currently witnessing rapid displacement on a massive scale," his spokesperson said.
He also stressed the importance of providing aid in partnership with Pakistani government and humanitarian bodies.
The UN humanitarian chief said though the world body has urged donors to contribute $543 million to help the displaced, so far only $118 million have come in.
The amount is "not remotely sufficient", John Holmes said.
"We cannot sustain the effort we are making at the moment for more than a month without some new and significant resources being contributed by the donors," he said.
The UN has identified food, safe water, medical assistance and shelter from the sweltering heat as priorities, also recognising 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," Mogwanja said.
Responding to the government's request for humanitarian help, the 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 reported that 200,000 of the nearly two 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 is boosting its support for reproductive health care — focusing 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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