WFP approves 64 million USD for food assistance in FATA and NWFP

Islamabad: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it will continue providing food assistance to Pakistan’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) until November 2009 under its new emergency operation.

With a total value of US$ 64.2 million, WFP will be able to provide over 97,000 tons of food to up to 600,000 beneficiaries who have fled from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and some districts of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) because of insecurity.

The number of displaced people eligible for humanitarian assistance has been increasing due to progress with their registration and also because their resources are becoming exhausted, particularly those who stay in host communities. Although some IDP families are said to have returned to their home areas, the number of people in IDP camps is still increasing. WFP assistance will be available to IDPs in communities and camps as well as those who decide to return home.

Through earlier pledges from donors and through borrowing resources from other programmes, WFP has been able to provide food assistance to over 360,000 IDPs living in camps and in host communities until March. The registration database made available by the Social Welfare Department of NWFP government and UNHCR allowed WFP to revise its distribution strategy by establishing a single distribution point (humanitarian hub) for each district and food assistance was made available at a “one-stop-shop”. These humanitarian hubs also facilitate the provision of non-food assistance from other UN agencies.

WFP Country Representative in Pakistan, Wolfgang Herbinger said, “NWFP is traditionally a province that is not self-sufficient in wheat production and depends on food imports. In neighbouring FATA region, food prices are currently the highest in the country.”

He added that “the majority of IDPs is residing in host communities and depend on their generosity. However, most host families are poor themselves and cannot sustain the additional burden in these days of high food prices and declining economic opportunities.”

The newly approved WFP emergency operation has already received generous pledges and confirmed contribution from following donors: United States of America, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, European Commission, Australia as well as from the Government of Punjab.