FATA since 2008-09 has seen a number of military
related operations in which numerous lives were lost and basic infrastructure
damaged, around half a million families were displaced including disabled and
elderly persons but today 96% of the families stand returned to their area of
origin this was told by Director General FATA Disaster Management Authority
(FDMA) Sirajul Haq while addressing as a chief guest on the completion ceremony
of HUJRA-WFP funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) here
at a local hotel in Peshawar on the other day.
The ceremony was also attended by DG Monitoring
& Evaluation Planning & Development KP Muhammad Khalid, Muhammad Abdullah Shah Deputy
Director Provincial Services Academy, WFP Provincial Program Officer Khalid
Rasool, Program Officer SDC Khursheed Ahmad, HUJRA organization Executive
director Salim Ahmad delegates from SDC Islamabad, Representatives from World
Food Programme, Representatives from Technical Working Groups and district administration
of Mohmand and Bajaur agencies, line
departments FATA Secretariat, civil society organization, UN agencies and Disaster
Management Authorities.
The Aim of the event was to draw a future course of
action for resilience programming in FATA based on the experience and lesson
learnt from the joint project.
Addressing on the occasion Salim Ahmad Executive
Director HUJRA told that the livelihood and Disaster risk reduction project was
implemented jointly by FATA Secretariat, the Un World Food Programme (WFP) and
the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) under a signed
memorandum of understanding (MoU) and was executed through a cooperating
partner HUJRA.
The major objective of the project was to build
community resilience in the effected population of Mohmand and Bajaur agencies
through community based disaster risk management (CBDRM) and integrated
watershed management practices.
He said that
the successful project has imprinted notable impacts with many success stories
in target areas, which has promoted the livelihood activities in the target
communities by the cash injection and has enhanced the food security in the
area.
Salim Ahmad added that due to the project 13,360
families were benefitted with Cash for Assets (CFA) and Cash for Trainings
(CFT) in Mohmad and Bajaur tribal districts.
“There are some (TWGs) Technical Working Groups, 131
Villages Disaster Risk Management Committees Formations in 100 Villages, 99
Community Resource Centers were established to implement disaster risk
mitigation structural and nonstructural activities” Salim told.
Director
General FDMA Sirajul Haq told that the government of Pakistan, the United
Nations Organization, World Bank and others international donors tried their
best this return is safe, voluntary, informed and dignified and the gains of
the interventions are sustainable.
He said that increasing trend of disasters and climatic
events alongside the human induced crises are impending challenges to
communities and system in the region and therefore it is obvious to increase
the localized resilience as a counter measure.
“FATA is also prone to many natural disasters that
affects food security also livelihood in this region” he added.
DG FDMA Sirajul Haq said that the donor
organizations play a pivotal role in the process by providing humanitarian assistance
to the TDPs in return, relief and recovery.
He said that the government that the govt has
approved Rs.80 billion package that is catering to the return, rehabilitation
and reconstruction needs of the FATA people.
