PESHAWAR: Provincial Relief Commissioner and Incharge of Emergency Response Unit (ERU) Muhammad Azam Khan Tuesday proposed that a permanent office of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) should be established in the provincial capital so that the relief activities for IDPs could be better coordinated and controlled in future.

According to an ERU handout issued here, the ERU Incharge was talking to a delegation of the United Nations during their visit to the ERU office. Other members of ERU Mushtaq Jadoon, Sadia Sarwat, Adnan Zafar and Dr. Salim were also present in the meeting.

“Lack of coordination among various donor agencies including the UN during the relief operation for the IDPs of Malakand Division was noticed at times, which hampered the relief activities,” he said, adding that there was urgent need for the establishment of UN OCHA office in the provincial capital. “There should be clarity at all levels,” he said.

He stated that generally the cluster approach to provide better facilities to the affected people is better, but during the recent crisis it failed to deliver, therefore, it becomes imperative that all the donor agencies including the UN should reassess their approach. “The provincial government is ready to provide all-out support to the UN and other donor agencies in their relief operation for the IDPs of Malakand Division,” he added.

According to him, there is urgent need for the establishment of effective central information system so all the partners would be given the information in time. “Now the provincial government has a gigantic task of rehabilitation and settlement of IDPs in their homes and it will certainly be needing the support of the UN and other donor agencies,” he added.

Other members of the ERU briefed the UN delegation about the relief operation for IDPs. According to them, their main areas of focus are health, education, sanitation and settlement of IDPs in their homes. He thanked the UN and international agencies on behalf of the provincial government for supporting the IDPs in their hour of need.