By IRNA,
Islamabad : The United Nations and its partners Friday launched $543 million appeal in humanitarian aid for Pakistan’s Internally Displaced Persons due to fighting in the country’s northwest.
Pakistani officials say that clashes between the security forces and Taliban militants have displaced around 1.9 million people in Swat valley and Malakand.
A total of 165 projects presented by 52 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners require around $543.
With $88 already provided or committed, the humanitarian community is calling for the remaining US $454 to be contributed urgently, to fund the assistance needed by the most vulnerable and worst affected for the rest of the 2009, says a statement issued by United Nations Information Center Islamabad.
It said that fleeing from intensified insecurity in Pakistan’s northwest provinces, some 1.7 million displaced people have been registered since early May and are now either living in relief camps or with host families.
Traumatized by their journey, and leaving with virtually nothing, these vulnerable men, women, and children are in urgent need of food rations, safe water supply, medical assistance and shelter from soaring temperatures.
Displaced children need to be able to continue schooling, mothers and babies need special health and nutrition assistance, and all displaced families need access to primary and emergency medical care, as well as clean water and sanitation to prevent the spread of disease. In addition, the overstretched resources of host communities need to be supplemented to provide for the families they are supporting.
“The scale of this displacement is extraordinary in terms of size and speed, and has caused incredible suffering,” notes the acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Martin Mogwanja.
“We are calling for generous support from the international community, in addition to the assistance being provided by both ordinary families and the national authorities.”