Ken Bacon, president of Refugees International, delivered testimony yesterday on the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan to a House of Representatives subcommittee. He was joined via webcast by Dr. Samina Ahmed of the International Crisis Group and Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, who both delivered their testimony from the American Embassy in Islamabad, where it was the middle of the night.
The three witnesses had been called upon to discuss the situation and stakes in Pakistan with Chairman John Tierney and other committee members. In recent months, massive numbers of people have been rapidly displaced by fighting between the government and militants in the northwest provinces. The crisis is obvious. Millions of people have been forced from their homes. They need food, water, shelter and security. As noted by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres in a press conference yesterday morning, the UN is struggling to meet these people’s needs, because it has not received enough funding from the international community [1].
The U.S. so far has been the most generous in aid. Pakistan has already received $162 million in humanitarian funds and Congress is considering providing an additional $225 million. However the crisis continues to expand and the displaced population remains extremely vulnerable. The hearing was ultimately a discussion of how aid money can be distributed so that regional stability is achieved and the displaced population is protected.
As the hearing began, Dr. Samina Ahmed delved into the crisis at hand. There are millions displaced, there is no security and the military operations in the area are leaving a high civilian cost in its wake.
“Unless relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts are urgently improved upon, the army’s offensive against the Taliban risks leaving the extremists the ultimate victors,” Dr. Ahmed said. She suggested that the Pakistani government must be more involved in planning and implementing the aid distribution, rather than the military.
To improve the aid effort, Ken Bacon recommended that funds be funneled through local Pakistani non-governmental organizations.
“Local organizations are a critical part of the overall relief effort because they have in-depth knowledge of the environment and sustain programs over an extended period of time. From a financial perspective, they are also must more cost-efficient than international NGOs as their overheads are much lower. What’s more, using local organizations helps to build local capacity and strengthen Pakistan’s humanitarian infrastructure,” Bacon said in his testimony. [2]
All witnesses expressed a sense of urgency in distributing aid packages. The current humanitarian effort has been too slow to respond to a rapidly expanding crisis. Bacon mentioned that the European Union has just pledged a 20 million euro contribution but other governments must be appealed to as well. Natural barriers to aid will soon arrive with monsoon season in July. Bacon expressed concern that in addition to creating challenges for aid workers, monsoons will produce health and sanitation problems that will increase the chances of epidemics of cholera and other waterborne diseases. This is just one indication that the crisis in Pakistan is expanding. Yet despite these numerous difficulties, people should only return home once their towns are safe enough and basic services are available.
As World Refugee Day approaches on Saturday, many are shining a spotlight on refugees around the world. This makes it even more appalling that the world has done so little to help the people of Pakistan. Right now Refugees International is trying to raise $10,000 before Saturday to bring the voices of displaced Pakistanis to the media and ensure that policymakers – including the members of Congress who attended this hearing – increase their efforts for the people of Pakistan. Please help us reach this goal. [3]