Mid-way through the winter, cautious optimism emerges in Pakistan's earthquake-hit areas, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator

27th January, 2006, ISLAMABAD. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, Jan Vandemoortele, who has just undertaken another field trip to the earthquake-affected areas, says glimmers of fresh hope and optimism are emerging among earthquake survivors and relief officials, regarding the transition from relief to recovery and reconstruction.
"What was most striking was that for the first time in our discussions with the military and our humanitarian partners, the concerns about the post-relief phase received as much attention as the relief phase itself," he observed.

"Until now, everything has been focused on relief, relief, relief, and on saving lives. But now, people, including the NGOs, the civilian authorities, the military, and the UN colleagues are all starting to raise questions about how to make the transition from relief to recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction," the Humanitarian Coordinator added.

But Mr. Vandemoortele is also warning against over-optimism and complacency in the relief operations. "The relief work has been going well. Of course, the weather was clear during our latest visit. However, we cannot be complacent here, because the weather remains the strongest factor in the relief effort, but so far, so good," he said.

The United Nations and all the humanitarian agencies are re-doubling their efforts, in support of the Government of Pakistan, to achieve the key objectives of keeping the earthquake survivors warm and dry, providing winterized tents and corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets, providing heating in family or communal tents, such as in school tents and hospital and improving the sanitation conditions in the camps.

Mr. Vandemoortele's two-day trip took him to Bana and Batagram in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, where he spent time with earthquake survivors, civil and military authorities and humanitarian workers. "We saw delivery of all kinds of essential food and non-food items. - Blankets, Plastic sheeting, warm clothing for children, iron sheets, etc. etc. We saw helicopters lift off with nets with food for delivery up in far away places in the higher mountains," he observed.

Relief officials and earthquake survivors also voiced concerns about the need for urgent planning for the return home of all Internally Displaced Persons. Some officials also spoke about the challenges posed by the land ownership and tenancy traditions in some of the earthquake-affected areas and how these would affect the return process. There is also the need for the Pakistan government's compensation scheme to be used as an incentive in the return process.

In some of the areas in the North-West Frontier Province, earthquake survivors and relief officials spoke about the urgent need to provide adequate health care for the affected populations, especially for women, children and the elderly. The acute shortage of female medical personnel is also creating major problems for the UN and other humanitarian partners providing health services in affected areas. "In certain parts of the country, for cultural and traditional reasons, females only go to see a doctor if the doctor is a female. Otherwise they do not go. So there is likely going to be a lot of hidden suffering and unattended health problems in these areas of Pakistan," UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Jan Vandemoortele, noted.

Almost all the hospitals and health units in Bana and Batagram have been destroyed by the earthquake. But valuable emergency health services are now being provided in these areas by Cuban doctors, the Save the Children Charity and other international relief agencies. The UN Population Fund, UNFPA, is also working in close partnership with the WHO, the Pakistan Ministry of Health and other agencies in the UN Health Cluster, to provide Basic Health Units, (BHUs) and Mobile Health Services in many of the affected areas.

Mr. Vandemoortele says he also heard expressions of gratitude during the latest field visits. "There is lots of gratitude all over in the mountains, in the camps, among colleagues, the civil authorities, from the military side, for what the international community has brought," he said.

But planning must begin in earnest to deal with the emerging optimism among the earthquake survivors, the Pakistani authorities and the humanitarian community, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator concluded.

END

Detailed information on the humanitarian relief operation is available at www.un.org.pk and at www.reliefweb.int plus www.pakquakecommunication.org

For further information and media assistance, please contact,

Ben Malor, UN Humanitarian Spokesman
UN - OCHA, Sector E7, Street 11, House 124, Islamabad, Pakistan
Cell phone: +92 (0)301 532 3985 or Email : malor@un.org