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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13010953/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This briefing paper evaluates the humanitarian response and recovery efforts six months after Pakistan’s major floods in 2010. It places emphasis on the underlying socio-economic and political concerns that need to be addressed, calling for a pro-poor reconstruction program to ensure sustainable development and a disaster-resilient Pakistan. In July 2010, nearly one-fifth of Pakistan was left underwater, affecting over 20 million people, destroying 1.6 million homes, and causing $10 billion dollars’ worth of economic damage. The first section of the brief examines the humanitarian response, its successes and areas of needed improvement. Though the Pakistani government, civil society, and the international community were able to rescue 1.5 million people, and provide essential support to over 1.4 million households, the overall international donor response was deemed rather lacking. The document singles out the United Nations’ response as particularly slow, leading to millions waiting months for assistance. The Pakistani government was also declared poorly prepared to deal with the flooding due to its weak institutions, underinvestment in disaster management, and lack of control over significant sections of its territory. The second part of the document addresses the challenges facing the reconstruction effort, particularly the social inequities that increase vulnerability to disaster. Effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Pakistan means addressing exclusion based on gender, religion, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. Women’s rights, the equitable access to and distribution of land, progressive agricultural assistance to vulnerable farmers, and the incorporation of DRR and climate change adaptation principles in the rebuilding of 10,916 schools damaged by the flooding have all been identified as essential to a focus on sustainable development within the recovery process. Though a national strategy for disaster management has been established, a lack of political conviction and corresponding investment has meant that these initiatives have been rather hollow in practice. The floods should be used as a catalyst to implement much needed reform, such as the establishment of quality basic services for all, and locally-led disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation measures, with flood-affected communities playing central roles in ensuring long-term sustainability. Most importantly, the reconstruction effort should require government transparency and accountability, specifically through the active engagement of civil society. ( English,English,English )
- Subject:
- Recovery and Reconstruction
- Scope and Content:
- Executive summary p. 3; 1. The humanitarian response: successes, weaknesses, and the continuing crisis p. 5; 2. The reconstruction challenge p. 11; 3. Conclusion and recommendations p. 20; Notes p. 22
- Citation/Reference:
- Chughtai, S., McElhinney, H., Seaward, C. (2011). Six months into the floods: resetting Pakistan's priorities through reconstruction. Oxfam International.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- This publication is copyright but the text may be used free of charge for the purposes of advocacy, campaigning, education, and research, provided that the source is acknowledged in full. The copyright holder requests that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, permission must be secured and a fee may be charged. E-mail publish@oxfam.org.uk.
- Resource Identifier:
- FI13010953
978-1-84814-809-3 ( isbn )
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