Present in the country since 1968, WFP assistance in the country aims to complement the Government’s efforts in enhancing food security and nutrition amongst vulnerable populations and provides technical support in developing relevant national strategies. The project also encompassed community resilience building, disaster risk reduction, disaster risk management and preparedness elements with a view to sustainability and national ownership. The programme of work is designed to reinforce Government initiatives, support the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals and align with the strategic priorities of the One-UN Operational Plan II (OPII).
Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO): Enhancing Food and Nutrition Security and Rebuilding Social Cohesion
(January 2013 to December 2015 – Total Value: US$535 million- Beneficiaries: 8.3 million)
In January 2013, WFP introduced a new prioritized programme of work in Pakistan: a three-year protracted relief and recovery operation valued at US$535 million through which it assisted nearly 4 million beneficiaries during 2013 and targets 3.4 million people in 2014. Assistance is concentrated in the north-west where challenging food and nutrition security situation and socio-economic indicators as well as law and order operations coincide, and districts elsewhere in the country where the nutrition situation is of concern.
WFP works closely with the Government and other partners to jointly assess and analyze the needs of the population prior to, during and at the end of the assistance period. WFP also conducts regular direct monitoring missions to evaluate impact of the assistance provided, ensure accountability and inform programme decisions going forward.
Specific components of this three-year operation include:
- Relief and early recovery assistance to communities affected by law enforcement operations in FATA, in ways that promote economic opportunities and social inclusion (including support for livelihoods and the government education system). These activities currently target over 1 million temporarily displaced persons including those who have been able to return to their areas of origin. Moreover, approximately 300,000 families will benefit from interventions focused on rebuilding productive assets and livelihood recovery activities. Some 250,000 students will be assisted with WFP’s school feeding programme, which uses fortified foods to increase micronutrient intake while encouraging children to stay in school.
- Nutrition is a priority area and programmes are designed to stem the decline in nutrition by treating and preventing acute malnutrition and preventing stunting, thereby addressing an urgent issue with considerable social and economic implications. WFP nutrition interventions capitalize on local capacities as well as technical expertise and provide locally developed and produced supplementary foods. These activities target children less than 5 years of age and pregnant and nursing women who are most vulnerable to undernutrition.
- Measures to build resilience and reduce risk exposure for communities residing in some of the country’s most hazard-prone locations utilizing cash transfers target over 800,000 people.
- Recovery support for communities hit hardest by the 2012 monsoon floods in Sindh and Balochistan includes targeted nutritional interventions for approximately 180,000 affected individuals, as well as livelihood support and recovery activities using cash transfers for nearly 300,000 beneficiaries.
WFP’s co-investment with the Government of Pakistan in close collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority and its provincial and district counterparts in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and preparedness is notable. DRM activities are aligned with the national framework, and focus on building local and national institutional capacity with a view to sustainability and national ownership. Building community resilience in disaster-prone areas is a national DRR priority; cash-based livelihood activities support the construction and repair of community infrastructure such as dams and drainage canals. Interventions utilizing food assistance help returnees and communities affected by law and order operations to reestablish their livelihoods and assets. The programme also comprises of a training element to help improve agricultural practices and production as well as post-harvest techniques with view to achieving sustainable food security.
Local Purchase and Production
WFP has developed partnerships with the public and private sectors in Pakistan to procure food locally and invest in specialized food processing. WFP works with commercial producers to increase the availability in markets of iodized salt, fortified wheat flour and other specialized products with a view to increasing vitamin and mineral intake and purchases the vast majority of commodities for its food assistance from Pakistani producers. In addition, WFP’s initiative in developing and producing specialized nutritious products meeting international standards for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition – Achamum, Wawamum, High Energy Biscuits (HEBs) - has the added benefit of stimulating the economy and employment and raising food safety standards while presenting a cost-effective alternative to WFP. Products from Pakistan have also been deployed to Afghanistan and an opportunity exists to expand such deliveries to other countries.
WFP’s nutritional product development in Pakistan has become a model for other countries and plays an important role in decreasing child malnutrition throughout the region.
Furthermore, WFP mills wheat and locally fortifies it with an enhanced vitamin and mineral premix to improve food security and reduce undernutrition. Along with key actors, WFP has been working on supporting a national strategy for wheat flour fortification - an inexpensive, effective, and easily achievable local nutrition intervention - building up local capacity to mill and fortify wheat donated to WFP by the Government of Pakistan.
Special Operation (SO): Logistics Cluster Coordination to Support the Humanitarian Community and Enhancement of Emergency Preparedness and Response Capacity
(June 2013 to June 2014 – Total Construction Value: US$17 million)
In light of the disproportionate impact of natural disasters in Pakistan, a critical need was identified by the National Disaster Management Authority aiming to strengthen the country’s emergency disaster response capability.
In order to better respond to emergencies, WFP, together with the Government, donors and other partners have been engaged in Disaster Risk Reduction programmes.
One such project is a joint endeavor between WFP and the Government which works in all seven Pakistan’s provinces, establishing a system of strategically located Humanitarian Response Facilities (HRFs) to enhance the country’s emergency response capacity. In addition to constructing the HRFs, WFP has positioned smaller warehouses in each of the most disaster-prone districts. National and Provincial Disaster Management warehouse staff are being trained in warehouse and facilities management in an effort to transition management of the facilities to the local authorities.
|Beneficiary needs (mt)||143,842|
|Beneficiary needs ($US)||168,849,794|
- Extreme environmental conditions
- Low education levels