VZCZCXRO8537
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #2932/01 3390312
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 050312Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6286
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 1250
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 9368
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 8358
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 2652
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 8251
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 7304
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 4165
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0407
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 002932 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV PINR PREL PTER PREF IO PK
 
SUBJECT: U.N. EXPLAINS THE DELAYED RELEASE OF 2010 HUMANITARIAN 
APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN 
 
REF: Islamabad 2880 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The U.N. has proposed a 12-month Pakistan 
Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) valued at nearly $800 million - 14 
percent larger than the 2009 PHRP.  However, the Government of 
Pakistan (GoP) is concerned that releasing a large appeal will 
create the perception that the internally displaced person (IDP) 
situation in Pakistan has deteriorated.  As a result, the GoP 
rejected the initial PHRP, asking the U.N. to reduce requests in 
every section but food aid, which was approved at $275 million.  The 
U.N. is now planning to approach the GoP with a revised appeal that 
only covers projected humanitarian needs for the first seven months 
of 2010.  Although the GoP is expected to request a further 
reduction, U.N. officials hope that the repackaged appeal will 
facilitate an agreement before the holiday break.  The final 
U.N.-GoP meeting is scheduled for December 5; if no decision is 
reached by December 11, the U.N. does not expect to release the 2010 
PHRP until mid-to-late January. End Summary. 
 
------------------ 
USAID-U.N. Meeting 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) On December 2, USAID Acting Mission Director Hardy and 
USAID's Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) met 
with several U.N. heads of agency to discuss concerns associated 
with the delayed release of the 2010 PHRP, particularly as it 
relates to an imminent food pipeline break in early 2010 and 
anticipated donor funding streams in the coming months. 
 
--------------- 
The 2010 Appeal 
--------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) In draft form, the U.N. originally presented the GoP with a 
12-month humanitarian appeal for 2010.  The 2010 PHRP (the appeal) 
was valued at nearly $800 million in its original form, with 
approximately 34 percent allocated to food needs, 17 percent 
allocated to shelter and non-food items (NFIs), 13 percent to health 
programming, 8 percent to community restoration (early recovery) 
activities, 6 percent to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and 
protection, and 22 percent for "other" humanitarian needs. 
 
¶4. (SBU) To reach an agreement on the 2010 PHRP before the upcoming 
holiday break, U.N. representatives reported that U.N. agencies are 
currently engaged in detailed discussions with the Head of the GoP's 
Special Support Group (SSG), who is serving as a broker between the 
U.N. and the GoP. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
How Does the Appeal Differ from Last Year's? 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The 12-month 2010 PHRP (the appeal) in draft form was more 
than $100 million higher than the 2009 PHRP, which was valued at 
$680 million.  Although the exact amounts requested by individual 
U.N. clusters for 2010 remain unknown, the U.N. has reported that 
several clusters solicited a higher proportion of the total appeal 
(compared to 2009).  Among U.N. clusters that requested a higher 
percentage of total funding in 2010 are health, which increased by 7 
percentage points; community restoration, which by increased 4 
percentage points; nutrition, which increased by 3 percentage 
points; and agriculture and education, which both increased by 2 
percentage points. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) has confirmed the 2010 
U.N. Food Cluster request to be $275 million - less than last year's 
request of $283 million.  The 2010 request represents nearly 35 
percent of the total 2010 PHRP and remains the only dollar amount 
approved by the GoP. 
 
--------------------------- 
GoP Issues with 2010 Appeal 
--------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The GoP rejected the 12-month PHRP for 2010, asking that 
 
ISLAMABAD 00002932  002 OF 002 
 
 
all U.N. clusters - apart from the U.N. Food Cluster - reduce 
individual requests by 10 to 15 percent.  According to a 
representative from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Head of the SSG indicated that not 
only would the U.N. have to significantly reduce the total requested 
funding for 2010, but must also package the PHRP differently to 
address the stigma and sensitivities associated with releasing a 
large appeal - principally to avoid creating the impression that the 
IDP situation in Pakistan has deteriorated, when in fact more than 
1.1 million IDPs have returned to former conflict areas. 
 
¶8. (SBU) According to several U.N sources, the GoP also expressed 
immediate concerns with the amount requested by the U.N. Shelter and 
NFI Cluster, led by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for 
Refugees (UNHCR).  In 2010, the cluster reportedly requested 
approximately $130 million for shelter and NFIs, representing 17 
percent of the total 2010 PHRP.  Although less than the 2009 request 
(which comprised 22 percent of the total appeal), the GoP believes 
the cluster's 2010 request to be inflated, inaccurately reflecting 
shelter/NFI needs among displaced families and returnees. 
 
¶9. (SBU) On December 3, UNHCR informed USAID/OFDA that the request 
included at least 70,000 transitional shelters for returnees (one 
per family) and 1.5 million NFI kits (containing blankets, water 
containers, sleeping mats, etc.).  Note: the high-dollar request 
likely reflects the high cost of transitional shelters compared to 
traditional tents. End Note. 
 
¶10. (SBU) U.N. representatives indicated that the GoP Economic 
Affairs Division (EAD), in particular, has hindered the approval and 
release of the PHRP.  According to the U.N., the EAD believes 
humanitarian relief funding and reconstruction/development funding 
to be mutually exclusive and that, dollar for dollar, donor funding 
through the PHRP would significantly reduce reconstruction and 
development assistance, particularly funding channeled through the 
GoP's Multi-Donor Trust Fund.  The U.N. believes that the EAD may 
object to the high-dollar 2010 PHRP, even in its reduced form. 
 
---------- 
Conclusion 
---------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) As a result of U.N.-SSG negotiations, the U.N. is now 
planning to approach the GoP with a revised appeal covering 
projected humanitarian needs for the first seven months of 2010, 
estimated at $520 million.  The U.N. plans to revisit the issue in 
July, with a second appeal covering the last five months of 2010. 
Although the GoP is expected to ask for further reduction of the 
seven-month funding request, U.N. officials hope that the repackaged 
appeal will gain GoP support before the holiday break.  The final 
U.N.-SSG meeting is scheduled for December 6; if a decision is not 
reached by December 11, the U.N. does not expect to release the 2010 
PHRP until mid-to-late January. 
 
Patterson