CERF allocates close to $10 million for vulnerable populations in Pakistan

5 April 2010: Given the expanding gap between ongoing needs and the increasing difficulties confronting UN agencies in terms of their abilities to support vulnerable populations, the CERF has allocated close to US$10 million to the UN Country Team in Pakistan.

The World Food Programme (WFP) will use $4.1 million to provide food assistance to 180,000 IDPs in NWFP and FATA. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will receive $2.3 million for maternal and child health care, emergency nutrition services, protection of girls and boys, and WASH interventions. Some $2 million has been allocated to the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency health care for IDPs and host communities, and WASH interventions. UN-HABITAT will receive $700,000 to improve living conditions of 1,000 IDP families through emergency shelter assistance and WASH interventions. Finally, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will receive $150,000 each to respond to gender-based violence and support for addressing urgent needs of 80,000 IDP and returnee women and girls.

The United Nations (UN) response in Pakistan is currently facing significant funding shortfalls against the Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) 2010 that is having direct implications for ongoing humanitarian operations across the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

The UN continues to provide life-saving assistance to over 1.3 million displaced people as well as to over 1.95 million people who have returned to their places or origin. However, ongoing conflict between the Government and against armed opposition groups continues to displaced tens of thousands across areas of FATA.