Working environment

The context

The floods that hit Pakistan in the summer of 2010 were the worst in almost a century. According to Government figures, they claimed the lives of more than 1,600 individuals and affected more than 20 million people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces. The Government of Pakistan and the humanitarian community vastly expanded their aid operations to cope with the unprecedented escalation in the number of those needing assistance.

Within this context, Pakistan continues to host some 1.7 million refugees, one of the largest populations of its kind in the world. Most are from Afghanistan and live in refugee settlements and urban areas. Since March 2002, approximately 3.6 million Afghans have repatriated from Pakistan with UNHCR's assistance. By mid-year in 2010, UNHCR had facilitated the return of some 95,000 Afghans.

In a major step towards finding solutions to the protracted Afghan refugee situation, the Government of Pakistan has instituted a new and comprehensive Management and Repatriation Strategy for Afghan Refugees. The new strategy will explore, among other issues, migration and other alternative status options.

In addition to the approximately 1.7 million refugees in the country, there are currently 1 million people still displaced due to the 2009 emergency in KPK and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). UNHCR will continue its efforts to address the protection and other basic needs of this group. It will also help to implement a return strategy for those who wish to go back to their areas of origin.

The socio-political and security situation in Pakistan remains unstable, and security is weak in many locations where UNHCR operates, thus limiting the effectiveness of its "protection by presence" strategy. In such a high-risk environment, UNHCR endeavours to strike a balance between providing assistance to those in need and ensuring staff security by working more closely with local partners and community networks.

The needs

In 2011, UNHCR will work with the Government to assist registered Afghan refugees or those holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards; asylum-seekers and recognized refugees, mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Somalia; stateless people; conflict-induced IDPs; and people displaced by natural disasters.

In 2011, the Office plans to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of 150,000 Afghan refugees with a valid PoR card. Also in 2011, the issuance of approximately a million birth certificates to Afghan children will be completed through the PoR card reissuing process started in 2010.

The Refugee-Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) and Population Profiling, Verification and Response (PPVR) projects will continue to support Afghans and local communities in Pakistan. Through the PPVR project, detailed information on Afghan individuals and communities will be analysed and durable solutions tailored accordingly.

The Office will also expand its protection coverage to refugees in urban areas through community engagement and development activities under the RAHA framework. Registration and profiling of populations will be connected with RAHA projects to promote social cohesion and a favourable protection environment. UNHCR will continue to support the Government's efforts to assist people uprooted in 2008-2009. With ongoing returns taking place in 2010, UNHCR's planning figure for IDPs in 2011 will be 896,000 people. UNHCR's protection strategy will be based on available information, access to the affected areas and its capacity to respond. The established protection monitoring network will be strengthened and extended to new areas of return as well as communities where IDPs remain.

Statelessness has emerged as an issue in Pakistan. There is no national legislation on statelessness. The stateless in Pakistan are primarily individuals with links to Bangladesh. While accurate data is not available, various sources put the number of affected persons in the thousands. With the aid of a study to be completed in 2011 that will highlight the causes and extent of statelessness in Pakistan, UNHCR and the Government will collaborate on a strategy to tackle the issue.

In the absence of national legislation on refugees, UNHCR will continue refugee status determination (RSD) in accordance with its mandate. It will seek durable solutions for recognized refugees, including resettlement for urban refugees. Advice and Legal Aid Centres (ALAC) will provide legal assistance to this population, including monitoring and support for persons of concern in detention who are threatened with deportation. UNHCR and its partners will monitor refugee communities and ensure basic protection is available for people with special needs, including those affected by sexual and gender-based violence.

2011 UNHCR planning figures for Pakistan
TYPE OF POPULATION	ORIGIN	JAN 2011		DEC 2011
		TOTAL IN COUNTRY	OF WHOM ASSISTED BY UNHCR	TOTAL IN COUNTRY	OF WHOM ASSISTED BY UNHCR
Total		3,677,310	3,677,310	2,777,860	2,777,860
Refugees	Afghanistan	702,000	702,000	604,200	604,200
	Somalia	600	600	800	800
	Iraq	110	110	140	140
	Various	210	210	230	230
People in a refugee-like situation	Afghanistan	1,075,400	1,075,400	1,074,000	1,074,000
Asylum-seekers	Afghanistan	2,600	2,600	2,200	2,200
	Somalia	220	220	170	170
	Islamic Rep. of Iran	70	70	80	80
	Various	100	100	40	40
IDPs	Pakistan	1,096,000	1,096,000	896,000	896,000
Returnees (IDPs)	Pakistan	800,000	800,000	200,000	200,000

Main objectives and targets

Fair protection processes

Improve or maintain the standard of registration and profiling of Afghan refugees.

• All Afghan refugee PoR card holders are issued a new card on an individual basis.
• The profiling of persons of concern informs the formulation of durable response strategies.

Security from violence and exploitation

Mitigate the impact of refugees on host communities.

• Some 50 per cent of refugee-hosting communities are assisted in supporting the continued presence of refugees among them.
• Development projects that benefit both the host and displaced communities are implemented in areas affected by the floods.

Basic needs and services

Improve or maintain the health of Afghan refugees.

• Eighty per cent of refugee women receive complete antenatal coverage (at least four antenatal consultations during pregnancy).
• The crude mortality rate of people of concern stays below 10 deaths per 1,000 people per month.

Provide IDPs and those affected by natural disasters with sufficient supplies of basic domestic and hygiene items.

• Some 65 per cent of needs for clothing and household items are met.

Improve the provision of shelter and infrastructure to displaced communities.

• Shelter is provided, with no more than six persons per shelter.

Community participation and self-management

Improve the level of self-reliance among Afghan refugees.

• Some 60 per cent of the refugee population has the right to work.

Durable solutions

Realize the potential for the voluntary return of internally displaced Pakistanis.

• All returns are voluntary, and conducted in safety and dignity.
• Provide support to the rehabilitation and reintegration of displaced communities, and to the search for durable solutions for Afghans, based on the Government's 2010-2012 Management and Repatriation Strategy for Afghan Refugees.

Strategy and activities in 2011

As part of its overall protection strategy in Pakistan, UNHCR will continue to advocate for the Government's accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the development of a national legislative framework that strengthens the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers.

Constraints

Security remains a major constraint in Pakistan, especially with regard to staff safety and access to certain areas. As in previous years, UNHCR will have to balance the imperatives of staff security and the delivery of humanitarian aid to persons of concern.

The lack of infrastructure and opportunities in Afghanistan is likely to continue to hinder returns from Pakistan.

Finally, the 2010 monsoon floods created major logistical constraints due to the destruction of roads and bridges, making many areas inaccessible or difficult to reach. This is also expected to be a problem in 2011.

2010-2011 Pakistan Flood Response

A supplementary budget of USD 120.7 million was created in August 2010 to respond to the devastating floods that hit Pakistan. The Office was an active participant in the United Nations consolidated appeal for the Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan.

UNHCR will increase its requirements, to cover its activities in the context of the flood response in 2010 and 2011. However, this figure may change in line with ongoing assessments. Activities will include the provision of transitional shelter to the most vulnerable families upon return; community restoration, particularly within Afghan villages and their surrounding communities; repair of basic health units and schools in Afghan refugee communities; and support for Government authorities in the management and planning of established temporary sites.

UNHCR has also formulated a protection strategy and a return framework in the context of the flood response, that will focus on protection monitoring and on advocacy to uphold protection principles. UNHCR will also establish Social Welfare Centres in areas of return, that will provide referral mechanisms to address protection concerns, including legal assistance to obtain documentation and assistance with land and property disputes. The Office will also support the Government in its registration and verification of flood-affected populations. As CCCM cluster lead, UNHCR will support the Government in the areas of camp management and the planning of temporary sites.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

In 2011, UN and other international agencies and NGOs will play a critical role in UNHCR operations in Pakistan. UNHCR will continue to collaborate with humanitarian actors within the cluster approach to ensure assistance is provided to IDPs and IDP returnees displaced in KPK and FATA in 2008-2009, as well as populations affected by the floods, including Afghan refugees. The Office will continue as the cluster lead for protection, shelter (including NFIs) and camp coordination/camp management (CCCM) with regard to IDPs.

Under the cluster arrangement for natural disasters, UNHCR will continue to lead the protection and CCCM clusters. Under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee arrangement for natural disasters, IOM was designated as the national lead in Pakistan for the emergency shelter/NFI cluster. However, given UNHCR's strong presence in KPK and Balochistan, UNHCR will lead the cluster in these two provinces and support the Government and other cluster partners in Punjab and Sindh.

The Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) remains UNHCR's key governmental partner. UNHCR will also work to increase and strengthen the capacity of the local NGOs which, owing to security constraints, have better access to persons of concern.

Financial information

While there have been increases in requirements under Pillar 1 and the creation of operations under Pillars 2 and Pillar 3, the overall budget has dropped from USD 190 million in 2010 to USD 112 million in 2011. The decline is primarily due to the reduction of activities under Pillar 4 (conflict-induced IDPs) as returns continue and it is envisioned that the majority of the remaining IDPs will return in 2011. Increased emphasis will be placed on UNHCR's Afghan refugee operations in 2011.

The budgets for 2010 and the 2011 budget contained in this Appeal do not include the newly-created Pakistan floods supplementary budget. Information on UNHCR's additional requirements for this emergency is to be found in the box and further information will be provided as it becomes available.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2011 Update