Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

PAKISTAN: UNHCR reviewing the way it operates
12 Jun 2009 13:20:01 GMT
 Source: IRIN

Background

•  Children

MORE >>
ISLAMABAD, 12 June 2009 (IRIN) - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is reviewing the way it operates and assessing what adjustments need to be made to ensure the safety of its staff, following the latest bombing incident in Peshawar in which two UN staff were killed.

However, a UNHCR briefing note [see: http://www.unhcr.org/briefing-notes] said there was no question of pulling out.

"We are committed to helping the millions of displaced people in the region. Our operations have continued this week, and we have been working with our partners to register new arrivals in camps and to improve conditions - installing fencing, shades over tents and privacy walls. We intend to remain responsive to humanitarian needs and flexible in how we deliver them."

The head of the UN system in Pakistan, Fikret Akcura, has told IRIN the 9 June bombing of the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar would "not affect our humanitarian relief operations".

"We are fully aware that around two million IDPs [internally displaced persons] depend on us... Up to May we had distributed 40,000 tons of food items. In camps every day four million litres of water are provided. We are spending about US$2 million a day on IDPs. So we cannot abandon these people," Akcura told IRIN.

"Of course yesterday's [9 June] event has shaken us badly, but we have a responsibility; we cannot leave two million [people] without daily assistance. This is very important for us. We'll have to deal with the logistics of the situation," he said.

The UN lost two colleagues in the blast - Aleksandar Vorkapic of the UN Refugee Agency (from Serbia) and Perseveranda So of the UN Children's Fund (from the Philippines).

"On behalf of the United Nations community in Pakistan, I strongly condemn this heinous attack. No cause can justify the killing and injuring of humanitarian workers and innocent civilians," Akcura said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed for donors to come forward with more aid, saying that if new money was not forthcoming "there could soon be serious breaks in the food pipeline… We must alleviate distress and avoid putting the country at risk of a spiralling secondary crisis."

at/cb

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Children

•  Refugees & displacement

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Child Labor Steals Play, Educational Opportunities
CCF - International

•  http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/09/09061201/index.asp
IFRC - Switzerland

•  SUDAN: Breaking down language barriers for refugees
MAG - UK

•  IRAQ: New partnership saves lives in Kirkuk
MAG - UK

•  Children at risk in disasters still being ignored, says report
Plan UK

MORE >>

Latest news

•  PAKISTAN: UNHCR reviewing the way it operates

•  Anti-Taliban cleric killed in Pakistani blast

•  Pakistan, China fighting militancy together - official

•  New U.S. general looks to shift tack in Afghanistan

•  India says considers troop cut in Kashmir towns

MORE >>

IRIN news

Background information

Topics
Children Refugees & displacement
Facts & figures
Pakistan

Related articles

Breaking stories
 PAKISTAN: UNHCR reviewing the way it operates (1 minute ago)

Anti-Taliban cleric killed in Pakistani blast (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Protection of war-displaced Pakistanis at risk - aid agencies (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Child Labor Steals Play, Educational Opportunities (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Groundhog Day, Darfur-style (1 minute ago)

Maps
 Menik Farm IDP Shelter Map (Zones 0 - 3) Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-12T074914Z_01_AAL117_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AAL117.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-12T072324Z_01_AAL115_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AAL115.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-12T071855Z_01_AAL114_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AAL114.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-12T071551Z_01_AAL113_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AAL113.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-06-12T071433Z_01_AAL112_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/AAL112.htm

An internally displaced girl, who fled a military offensive in the Swat valley region, looks through a fence while standing near her family tent at the UNHCR ( United Nations High ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Fri Jun 12 13:20:36 2009