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Pakistan

Field Reports  In-Depth Reports  Letters & Testimonies

Overview
More than half a million Pakistanis remain displaced due to the 2011 floods in Sindh Province, and nearly one million remain internally displaced by armed conflict in the northwest.

Current Humanitarian Situation
Humanitarian agencies are struggling to respond to the crisis given the difficulties of accessing displaced people in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Moreover, the official criteria for IDP registration have barred many conflict IDPs from receiving humanitarian assistance. A multi-agency (UN and NGO-led) IDP vulnerability assessment and profiling exercise in 2011 found that 36 percent of conflict IDPs were not registered, and therefore did not qualify for most assistance programs; hundreds of thousands of ineligible people, meanwhile, were registered.

Action Needed

  • The UN and donors, including the U.S. government, must ensure that humanitarian assistance for Pakistani conflict IDPs is targeted to those identified by the Internally-Displaced Persons Vulnerability Assessment and Profiling (IVAP) mechanism.
Field Reports
  • Pakistan: Flood Survivors Still Struggling to Recover
    08/31/2011
    One year after massive floods submerged much of Pakistan, millions of flood survivors are still without permanent shelter and struggling to access food. It is critical that the U.S. government make strides in demonstrating that flood assistance, in addition to providing life-saving assistance, is also helping to alleviate poverty and to build a more democratic and economically and politically stable Pakistan.
  • Pakistan: Short-Sighted Policies Hindering U.S. Goals
    04/05/2010
    Military operations in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) continue to displace thousands of civilians. The role of the Pakistani military in the humanitarian response as well as allegations of human rights abuses in its counterinsurgency operations, has yet to be prioritized, particularly by the U.S. government. Simultaneously, U.S. development funding in the FATA is not having its intended impact, while projects that could significantly improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis are not receiving enough support. While Refugees International recognizes the complexity of the U.S. role in the region, greater oversight of humanitarian and human rights issues should inform the U.S. government’s strategic partnership with Pakistan.
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In Depth Reports
  • Confronting Climate Displacement: Learning from Pakistan's Floods
    11/22/2010
    In July 2010, massive rain in Pakistan led to unprecedented flooding that submerged one-fifth of the country and affected more than 20 million people. While many experts believe the floods were the result of climate change, others say the science is uncertain. Regardless, most agree that natural disasters are occurring more frequently and that the international community is ill-equipped to respond. It is estimated that by 2050, as many as 200 million people will be displaced by natural disasters and climate change. The world’s poorest and most crisis-prone countries will be disproportionately affected.
  • Afghanistan: Invest in People
    07/10/2008
    Millions of Afghans need help rebuilding their lives and country. The U.S. and other donor nations must allocate resources to tackle problems that are specific to vulnerable Afghans.  The humanitarian situation is worsening in Afghanistan.
Advocacy Letters
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Successes
In order to increase awareness of the link between climate change and displacement, The Ken & Darcy Bacon Center for the Study of Climate Displacement assessed climate-related migration and displacement in Senegal and Pakistan, worked closely with congressional leaders to promote the issue, participated in international forums and panel discussions, and hosted education and outreach events. As a result of RI’s time in Pakistan, the report from the UN Human Rights Council's 2010 Social Forum included our recommendations to better protect people displaced by natural disasters.