Oxfam says UN Aid Operation in Pakistan Needs Funding Now

Posted: 19 November 2005

The biggest natural disaster ever to hit Pakistan—the Oct. 8 earthquake—affected 3.5 million people, yet few if any of the camps cobbled together to shelter many of them meet internationally accepted standards for relief. Virtually none of the camps have access to adequate water or sanitation services.

That's the grim news that will greet representatives gathered for an international donors' conference in Islamabad this weekend. In a new report released on the eve of the event, Oxfam has outlined the shortcomings of the emergency response. The report, "A Mountain to Climb," points to the urgent need to increase funding for the massive—and remote—relief effort.

"If lives are to be saved, the relief operations must be dramatically scaled up," said Jane Cocking, Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan. "The international donors' conference will be a test of commitment. If the political will for these aims is there, effective relief and reconstruction is possible."

Six weeks after the earthquake killed more than 80,000 people, the United Nations response to the disaster is severely short of both resources and personnel. Donor governments have committed only about one quarter of the $550 million the UN has requested.

In its report, Oxfam concludes that:

Donor countries need to provide their fair share of emergency relief. The UN must receive adequate funds to scale up its operation in the area affected by the earthquake and provide additional personnel and material. Humanitarian principles and standards must be upheld.
Civil society monitoring and open discussion about successes and challenges in the earthquake response will help the government of Pakistan and the international community revise and improve their aid delivery and ensure the effective implementation of the reconstruction plan.
The international community needs to fulfill its obligations not only in the relief phase but in reconstruction, too.

Shelter Remains a Top Priority

As winter closes in on the region, bringing snow and plummeting temperatures, the provision of suitable temporary homes for people remains a top priority. According to the Oxfam report, the UN has acknowledged that it has not been able to play a substantial role in the management of camps, in part because of lack of funding. But well-managed camps will play a vital role in ensuring that families make it through the winter.

"There are not enough organized camps," said Tom Burston, an Oxfam logistician working in Balakot town in early November. "Many families are sheltering in open fields without clean drinking water or sanitation." Some of the survivors in his area have winterized tents, he added, but many others are living under plastic sheets or lengths of cloth held up by sticks.

The Oxfam report notes that involving survivors in the organization of camps ensures their effective operation, and it's best if the camps don't grow larger than 5,000 people. Camp organizers should also pay special attention to the needs of women and girls, whose privacy and safety can be at risk in these crowded settings. One good way to accomplish that is to include women in the camp management.

Though aid groups had managed to distribute 370,000 tents to homeless people by mid-November, many of them are not suitable for winter use. There remains a pressing need for tents of better quality and for the provision of shelter repair kits.

Other humanitarian needs are also causing aid workers some concern, according to the report. For instance, an immunization program targeting 800,000 children is proceeding, but Oxfam says aid groups lack the capacity to deal with major outbreaks of disease if they should occur in the camps.

The earthquake destroyed 16,000 schools in the North West Frontier Province and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. But by mid-November, just 36 temporary schools had taken their place. Each of them is serving only about 250 children.

Additionally, the World Food Program says 2.3 million people in the region will need food during the winter. As of the middle of November, 800,000 people were receiving food, but the program had only enough supplies to last through the end of December.

Coordination is Key

Though there has been some valid criticism of the UN's initial response to this disaster, Oxfam notes that the UN remains the only organization with the mandate and the expertise to support the Pakistan government in the coordination of the relief and recovery effort. Aid groups rely on the UN's coordination and infrastructure to make sure they are not duplicating one another's efforts and to ensure that they are able to meet the basic needs of earthquake survivors.

"The UN must ensure effective leadership and coordination and make sure that the resources are used wisely," said Oxfam in its report, "but it is difficult to do this without adequate funds."

The donors' conference this weekend represents an opportunity to turn the tide on the devastation the earthquake caused, and to give the people of Pakistan a chance to rebuild their lives.

"The decisions made at this conference could lift hundreds and thousands of people out of poverty, many of whom before the earthquake lacked access to even basic care and education," said Cocking, the humanitarian coordinator. "We must ensure that this conference isn't just another talking shop, but a real opportunity for lasting change and for civil society to be empowered."