10% homeless people find UNHCR shelter

10 per cent of 10 million homeless people have received shelter from UNHCR.

ISLAMABAD: About 10 per cent of 10 million homeless people have received shelter from United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR) so far.  The agency has requested the international community to expand their efforts given the sheer scale of the catastrophe.

“The problem is the capacity and we need to address the matter as quickly as we can,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres at a press conference after his two-day visit to the flood-stricken areas. According to the commissioner, camps should be used only in case of an emergency when there is no other solution available. However, public buildings such as schools are a priority and they need to be vacated soon so that schools could restart.

“My visit made me see the people’s determination to get back home and restart their lives, but we are still at the peak of the crisis,” said Guterres.

About 100,000 Afghan refugees have gone back but there are still 600,000 residing in Pakistan. “Unfortunately Afghan refugees are still not ready to go back to their home in Afghanistan since the areas they belong to are extremely insecure, therefore UNHCR is very grateful to Pakistan’s government for sharing their resources with the refugees at a time like this,” said Guterres.

He added, “A big jump needs to be made and for that jump the funds required will be a major concern”. So far 54 per cent of the funds have been allocated to the agency which is not enough. “We are living in a complex moment and all essential resources are being mobilized,” he said. Pakistan is facing the biggest challenge, with shelter being a greater threat than food in Sindh. “Everyone is doing their best but (even) their best is not enough,” added Guterres.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2010.