Pakistan Mission to United Nations

It is my privilege to participate in this important debate on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations.

Today, natural disasters aggravated by the climate change affect more people in the world than humanitarian emergencies caused by conflicts or internal strife. The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance as a result of natural disaster will continue to increase. While the number of people in need will grow owing to diverse challenges, there is a parallel need to improve the level of coordination with the affected state and provision of resources in a more effective, accountable and need-based manner.

The diversity of challenges faced by the world of humanitarian assistance has been compounded by the ongoing multiple crises of finance, energy and food. While the financial and economic crisis has hit the roots of provision of necessary funds for humanitarian assistance throughout the world, the food and energy insecurity has increased the vulnerabilities of the population in need.

Mr. President,

There are no easy fixes to the challenges that we face. These challenges need to be matched with a concerted and effective response through innovative thinking and reinvigoration of efforts to anticipate and overcome humanitarian emergencies.

While we must continue to explore solutions to these new and emerging challenges to humanitarian assistance, we should also try to specifically improve upon following elements:

• Improved coordination mechanism by Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) remains pivotal both in providing humanitarian assistance and presenting the ground situation to the world. Coordination would be of essence in times of constrained resources and to avoid overlapping of work by relevant humanitarian agencies.
• The varying focus on whether the humanitarian challenges resulting from complex emergencies are more compounded than natural disasters or vice versa need to be avoided as the subject of humanitarian assistance should be kept above board and need not to be wrapped in political nuances and expediencies.
• The complex nature of humanitarian work would require sensitivity towards specific situations and in responding to their needs. We can not have one size fit all approach to humanitarian assistance.
• Tapping on alternate means such as increased local procurements of material resources and hiring of local expertise to save funds.
• Continuous efforts to build trust between donors, international humanitarian actors and affected states.
• Capacity building in countries that are most likely to be affected by humanitarian emergencies remain an important element of domestic preparedness.
• Accountability of all humanitarian actors will provide the inspiration for others to follow. And
Reporting mechanism should follow facts and remain cognizant of the different situations that are not comparable. Undue politicization of humanitarian relief work has negative implications for the affected population.

Mr. President,

Unfortunately we have witnessed acts of increased violence against humanitarian workers. Pakistan condemns terrorist attacks against humanitarian actors who render invaluable services to people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. While the Member States should continue to take all possible measures for their safety and security, the United Nations system should also provide necessary training and capacity building for the humanitarian actors to remain cognizant of their operating environment including through enhanced coordination with Member States.

Mr. President,

Of late Pakistan has suffered from varying nature of humanitarian emergencies including natural disasters. These have caused dislocation and loss of life and infrastructure. The devastating earthquake of 2005; heavy rains and floods in 2007-2008; and the recent dislocation undertaken by the people in North West of the country have added to the challenges being faced by our country and also provided us with the valuable experience to deal with humanitarian situations.

Pakistan has gained valuable experience especially in the post-2005 earthquake rehabilitation phase and the process of helping out the dislocated people in North West of the country. From our experience of earthquake we envisaged a devolved and decentralized mechanism for preparedness and management, this helped creating necessary institutional, infrastructural and legislative framework, including establishing: Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) to be the focal point for all reconstruction and rehabilitation activity; National Disaster Management Commission and Authority under the guidance of the Prime Minister; and Provincial Disaster Management Commissions and Authorities; and establishing the National Disaster Risk Management Framework.

Mr. President,

Existence of these institutions, infrastructure and legislative framework has helped us in managing the current dislocation and subsequent rehabilitation in the North West of the country. Disaster preparedness and capacity building in this aspect is an on-going process, the measures being taken by our government is a work in progress which would need help and support of the international community. Building upon existing mechanism, the Government of Pakistan has taken following important steps for assistance and rehabilitation of the dislocated people and returnees:

• A Special Support Group provide for relief and coordination efforts at the federal level;
• Establishment of an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) at provincial level;
• Cash grants are being provided to affected families under the Benazir Income Support Programme. This also includes the provision of relief on gas consumption and free of cost electricity up to limited units;
• Return policy for dislocated people has been formulated to ensure safe, secure and sustainable returns; and
• A relief package to write-off farm and no-farm agriculture loans owed by small farmers has been introduced.

Mr. President,

In all times, the primary role of the concerned State in the initiation, identification, coordination and delivery of humanitarian assistance remains central. Respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of States must remain the overarching parameters in all coordination as enshrined in the GA Resolution 46/182.

I thank you