The humanitarian crisis in Pakistan

19 November 2009

New emergency humanitarian aid to rebuild businesses and agriculture announced

The UK will provide new emergency humanitarian aid to help hundreds of thousands people in the North West Frontier Province, and South Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to rebuild businesses and agriculture affected by the recent conflict in Pakistan. This investment will bring the total amount provided by the UK for displaced people since 2008 to £34 million.

14 October 2009 

Further £10m for Pakistanis displaced by fighting

The UK will provide a further £10m to help with the early stages of recovery needs for communities affected by fighting in Pakistan, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced today.

5 August 2009

View from a camp - a snapshot of what life is like for the people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan

"My home is my paradise.  We’re thankful for the support everyone has given us. It has got here quickly and there’s so much need everywhere.  Now, it's my right to go home" - Mia Munir, who fled together with his family from Swat, prays for peace and an end to the crisis.

Elena Immambocus from DFID's Pakistan office recently visited a camp for people displaced by the humanitarian crisis in the Swabi district of North West Frontier Province.

Read her vivid account of what life is currently like for those, like Mia Munir, most affected by the crisis and learn about their hopes for the future.

25 June 2009

Photographs from UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency - showing the impact of the recent conflict in Pakistan. See the full gallery with captions on our Flickr photostream.  Photos by Helene Caux (UNHCR)

24 June 2009

"With our international partners, we are ensuring that humanitarian assistance reaches those who need it most through established co-ordination mechanisms for allocating finance, clear funding criteria and careful monitoring....To ensure that aid gets to those living in host communities, we have helped to establish 34 separate aid stations to enable the fair distribution of aid."

Minister for International Development Mike Foster answers questions in the House of Commons on projects to improve education in Pakistan, particularly for girls, and on the latest humanitarian efforts.

19 June 2009

We estimate that around 235,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are currently living in emergency camps.

UK funds are being used by international humanitarian agencies to meet the most immediate needs of these people, allowing for the provision of food, shelter, water and sanitation facilities and medicine. Protection for the most vulnerable groups - such as children - is a priority. 

The government of Pakistan is now considering a process for the return of people from the emergency camps to their home areas.

The international community is asking that these returns are carried out in line with international best practice, and that the return areas are safe, people are informed about the situation in their home area, and no one is forced to return against their will.

Although the international humanitarian community and the government have responded quickly to the crisis, more still needs to be done.

18 June 2009

DFID has committed £22 million of humanitarian aid for people displaced by conflict in both the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

It is currently estimated that 2.4 million people have been displaced, of whom a large proportion are living in camps while the vast majority are staying with host communities and family members in what are often over-crowded conditions without adequate access to basic services.

Our funding has helped to provide tents, latrines, water pumps and hygiene kits to both those in camps and those staying in host communities, in support of critical life saving needs. Activities supported by DFID also include contributing to regular food distributions for 1.5 million displaced people.

We are also helping to provide shelter materials, non-food items such as kitchen kits, clean water, support to protection, and health services including maternal, neo-natal and child healthcare.

Timeline of the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan

11 June 2009

Over 2 million people have been displaced by the recent fighting in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

This is now the biggest movement of people within Pakistan since partition in 1947. Globally, we estimate that this is the second largest humanitarian movement of people after Sudan and one of the largest, fastest displacements the world has seen in the last 15 years.

As of 4 June, more than 2 million people are believed to have fled from their homes. The situation is changing rapidly.

Over 200,000 people are living in emergency camps. Around 2 million people are staying with family and friends often in overcrowded conditions with little access to basic facilities. All need urgent humanitarian help.

Many people across the UK and worldwide are very concerned by what is happening in Pakistan. We share these concerns.