Pakistan

Pakistan has witnessed an unfortunate recurrence of natural and man-made disasters and crises in recent years – the earthquake in 2005; floods in 2007, 2010 and 2011; and a prolonged security crisis in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). UNDP has responded to these by committing substantial effort and resources to crisis prevention and recovery initiatives. UNDP has also provided critical knowledge, technical and capacity support to the establishment of key institutions including the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Institute for Disaster Management (NIDM), the Planning Commission and other main departments and ministries of the government.

Moreover, UNDP’s support to government and the UN continues to be instrumental in coordinating Early Recovery to undertake comprehensive needs assessment and coordinate response activities. UNDP has also mobilized significant resources and implemented programmes to provide cash for work, livelihood opportunities, infrastructure rehabilitation, revenue records restoration, disaster risk reduction interventions, psycho-socio counseling and skill development activities with a focus on women and vulnerable groups. Peace building and development in crisis affected regions of KP and social cohesion and community-based development for areas that host Afghan refugees are important initiatives. 

The Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit (CPRU) develops national and international partnerships with an emphasis on preparedness and mitigation in disasters and peace building efforts for man-made crises. To complement this, CPRU supports preparation and dissemination of knowledge products on crisis prevention and recovery, synthesizing lessons from international experiences for local stakeholders and sharing local experiences to serve as reference and wider sharing.

Projects   Early Recovery for the Earthquake Affected Area Environmental Recovery Programme for Earthquake-affected Areas Strengthening Capacity for Disaster Response One UN Disaster Risk Management Programme Earthquake Risk Reductions and Preparedness Programme Refugee Affected Areas Rehabilitation Refugee Affected Areas Programme Sustainable Development through Peace building, Governance and Economic Recovery in Khyber Puhktumkhwa Early Recovery Framework for the Returnee & Stayee Population of FATA-2011-2013

Crisis Prevention & Recovery July-August 2010 Flood Statistics Official Casualties 1985 Pop. Affected Over 18 million people (500,000 families) Seriously Injured 2946 Homes Damaged or Destroyed 1744471 Area Affected 43,054 sq. km. Pop. Est. to be in Camps through Winter 170000 Official Casualties: 1,985 Seriously Injured 2,946 Area Affected 43,054 sq. km. Data source: Humanitarian Response Pakistan (www.pakresponse.info) , UN Thematic Working Group on Disaster Risk Management, & National Disaster Risk Earthquakes 1945 Makran coast 1976 Northern Areas 2005 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) & Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK) Droughts Floods Land classified as arid 60 % Annual rainfall Less than 200 mm Material loss USD 247 million(1926-2006) Fatalities 14,082 Material Loss (1926-2006) USD 2.5 billion, (USD 6 billion by some estimates) Landslides Areas Affected KPK & PAK % Forest Cover shrinking 3.1% (7000-9000 ha taken away annually) Tsunamis November 1945 Makran Coast Magnitude of earthquake preceding Tsunami 8.3 on Richter scale Fatalities 4000 Cyclones/ Windstorms Number of recorded cyclones (1971-2001) 14 Fatalities 10,609 Material Loss (1926-2006) USD 4 million Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Number of glacial lakes in Indus Basin 2420 Potentially Dangerous glacial lakes 52   * Data source: UN Thematic Working Group on Disaster Risk Management, & National Disaster Risk Management for Pakistan & ERRA-UN Early Recovery Plan (May2006)