Early Recovery and the Internally Displaced

‘Internal displacement is the great tragedy of our times. The internally displaced are among the most vulnerable of the human family’ Kofi Annan

ermed as the largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, the conflict in the

North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas resulted in

the displacement of an estimated 2 million people. As peace was restored, people have

begun to return home in large numbers. Their survival depends on how well and how

quickly they resurrect their lives and everything associated with it. Early recovery

support is critical to help them in this transition. Restoring livelihoods, building peace,

strengthening institutional capacities and restoring infrastructure are some of the most

pressing needs.

IDP’s from Swat and Buner return to their homes after some of the areas were declared safe by the Government.

The response mechanism

In order to effectively respond to a crisis, all humanitarian actors come together in

clusters to ensure a coordinated response. Similarly, for the IDP crisis there were

several clusters (education, health, protection, camp management, shelter, food, water

and sanitation etc) with representation from the Government, civil society and the UN.

For Early recovery two mechanisms come into place:

The Early Recovery Cluster is responsible for addressing those early recovery issues

not already covered by other clusters or sectors, which are essential to kick-start early

recovery and transitional reconstruction efforts (governance, non-farm livelihoods,

environment, social cohesion, basic community infrastructure).

The Early Recovery Network is composed of early recovery focal points from each of

the other clusters or sectors who together work on the integration, mainstreaming and

coordination of early recovery issues and activities across all clusters/sectors.

Children play in the debris of their houses in Rahimabad village near Mingora.

As of September,2009, over 234,500 families (1.64 million individuals) have returned.

The human cost of the conflict is incalculable and often irreversible. As thousands return

to battered homes and destroyed livelihoods, urgent steps must be taken to restore

stability and normalcy in their lives.

People have to walk over the damaged Ayub bridge in the Swat Valley to reach Mingora as it is no longer take the load of vehicles.

The estimated debris in the affected areas stands at a staggering 2,282,500 tons.

There are 30,000 families with completely damaged houses and 70,000 vulnerable

families with totally and partially damaged houses.

The community infrastructure was severely damaged in the conflict: access roads, foot

paths, culverts, drains, paved streets, suspension/wooden bridges, retaining walls,

communal water supply systems (tube well, hand pumps etc), public toilets, garbage

disposal points, grinding mills, small hydroelectric power plants (turbine), mosques,

community halls, playgrounds, local electricity networks, flood protection bunds, and

irrigation channels are some examples. The meant a disruption of basic services to the

communities during the crisis. The early repair of damaged community infrastructure is

an essential step in returning the affected communities back to normalcy.

A vendor sells vegetables and fruits next to his destroyed shop-eager to regain his lost livelihood.

Prior to the conflict people of the NWFP depended on a range of livelihoods options

including horticultural, wheat farming, livestock, transportation, tourism, trout fishing,

weaving and embroidery, mining (gems and marble) and wood carving/carpentry. The

conflict has seen the disruption and destruction of many of these options.

The Jirga (a decision-making assembly of elders) is constituted in Buner for decision making through consensus

In the aftermath of the conflict, social tensions and grievances may escalate with

community members not trusting each other. Mechanisms for local level dispute

resolution, dialogue and peace building need to be established to address the root

causes of the conflict and ensure social cohesion. This is critical as decreased social

networking, can result in social isolation both for the people in the crisis zone and those

who were/ are displaced. As the return continues and families begin to rehabilitate their

homes and farms, there is a high likelihood of disputes and efforts to bridge this divide

become critical to the promotion and maintenance of peace in these areas.

Peace and security are the foremost priorities of the IDPs and those who never left.

Over the last two years, the ability of the civilian law enforcement agencies, chiefly the

police, the prosecution, and to some extent the courts have been severely undermined,

and by early 2009 these agencies were the main targets of the militants. After

schools, the greatest damage to public buildings has been to police stations (thanas)

and check posts. The police force lost lives, equipment, buildings and morale essential

to maintain peace. The urgent repair of thanas and police check posts is a collective

need.

As anxious IDPs enter Mingora, they stop to ask a police constable if it is safe to return.

The immediate environmental impacts of the crisis are: debris from damaged buildings

and landslides; wastewater and industrial effluents; unexploded ordinances; forest

destruction; and carcasses of animals. These impacts are concentrated in the highly

affected areas of Swat, Buner and Bajaur.

As truck-loads of IDPs return, the negative environmental impacts of the crisis threaten to adversely affect the process of recovery.

The office of the District Coordination Officer in Buner.

Other than the human cost of the conflict, there was a great degree of damage to

governance structures that are responsible to provide basic services. These institutions

are now faced with the responsibility to provide basic services and coordinate

and facilitate the transition from relief to recovery.

Photo Essay: Mehreen Saeed Photo Credits: Muzammal PashaCommunications Analyst Strategic Management Unit United Nations Development Programme

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