VZCZCXRO8009
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #0468/01 0621406
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 031406Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1723
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 9930
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 9807
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 4552
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 1175
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 6860
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 5787
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3890
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 9087
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHWSMRC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000468 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PK PREF PREL PTER
SUBJECT: LACK OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO UN APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN 
 
REF: ISLAMABAD 377 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request.  Please see paragraphs 8-9. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary. On February 26, representatives from the UN 
High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food 
Program (WFP) called on Charge d'Affaires to discuss their 
operations within Pakistan.  Both organizations committed to 
continue their work to address the growing internally 
displaced persons (IDPs) situation in the Northwest Frontier 
Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas 
(FATA); however, they also reported that the USG was the only 
nation to contribute to the recent UN appeal and looked to 
the USG to motivate other donors.  Additionally, they said 
that they were reexamining their security posture in country 
to determine how closely the UN organizations plan to work 
with the Pakistani military to deliver assistance.  UNHCR and 
WFP noted that Geneva is considering the idea of creating a 
Humanitarian Envoy for the FATA and Balochistan to better 
manage UN operations in country and to work with the GOP. 
Embassy strongly supports the Humanitarian Envoy and asks the 
Department and USUN to weigh in with UN Headquarters. End 
summary. 
 
CURRENT OPERATIONS 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) On February 26, Charge d'Affaires met with the UNHCR 
Assistant High Commissioner for Operations and the Deputy 
Chief Operating Officer for WFP to discuss their current 
operations in Pakistan. Both agencies noted that they have 
been able to get into Swat District within the NWFP with 
humanitarian assistance, and WFP has established a 
distribution hub in Malakand, south of Swat, to deliver food 
and nonfood items to the affected populations.  They also got 
twenty-three relief trucks into Mingora the week of February 
22 with more expected. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Both agencies report that they are continuing to 
have difficulties with the GOP at both the provincial and 
federal levels in that they will be granted access to an area 
by the federal government and then subsequently denied access 
to the same area by the provincial or district governments. 
(Note. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 
has reported the same problem; however, while ICRC had been 
able to get past most of the local problems, it is now 
receiving pushback from the NWFP Government and Swat district 
government based on Pakistani fear that another attack on 
international staff in Swat would be another "black-eye" for 
both governments. End note.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) UNHCR and WFP are discussing with Geneva how their 
agencies plan to work with the Pakistan military to deliver 
assistance. As noted, the UN prefers to distance themselves 
from the host country military, but they realize that in 
order to deliver assistance in the conflict-affected areas of 
Pakistan, a working relationship with the military will be 
required. 
 
POSSIBLE HUMANITARIAN ENVOY 
--------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) UNHCR reported that the UN is considering the idea 
of creating a Humanitarian Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan 
to better manage the UN operations in country, to work with 
the GOP at all levels, and to work on better donor 
coordination. Additionally, this envoy would focus primarily 
on the FATA and Balochistan, the IDP situation, and the 
possible development of UN provincial reconstruction teams 
(PRTs). 
 
ACTION REQUEST: FUNDING THE UN APPEAL 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Earlier the same day, UNHCR and WFP had held a 
donors' conference, which they termed "disappointing." The 
agency representatives reported to Charge that only the USG 
had contributed to the UN's USD 129 million appeal for 
Pakistan, and the other diplomatic missions in Pakistan had 
 
ISLAMABAD 00000468  002 OF 002 
 
 
remained silent as to whether they planned to contribute. 
(Note. To date, the USG has contributed over USD 10 million 
to this appeal and is currently considering more funding. End 
note.) They asked for USG help in encouraging contributions 
from other donors. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment and Action Request: There may be several 
reasons other donors are hesitant to contribute to this 
appeal.  Some tell us they think the plan has been "padded" 
with money for development and other activities that go 
beyond straight humanitarian relief. Some seem to feel that 
the USG should bear most of the burden, as we have been 
pushing Pakistan the hardest to act against the militants. 
Still others question UN management of the IDP crisis to 
date.  For example, the British High Commission is convening 
a meeting of donors this week to discuss concerns about 
"management of humanitarian aid in NWFP, given the conflict 
and potential political profile." 
 
¶9. (U) Post requests that the Department demarche key 
capitals on extending support to the UN Appeal for Pakistan. 
This appeal is crucial to UN operations within Pakistan for 
humanitarian assistance in the FATA and NWFP. Given that the 
UN and international organizations have responded positively 
to our call for better organization of the relief effort, it 
is now time for the other donor nations to contribute to 
their work. (reftel) 
PATTERSON