Food Security Cluster Pakistan - humanitarianresponse.info · Acknowledgement: This document has been developed jointly by the Food Security Cluster members (International and National

CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR MONSOON 2012 Food Security Cluster

Pakistan

Acknowledgement: This document has been developed jointly by the Food Security Cluster members (International and National NGOs), FAO and WFP. This document has been produced in collaboration with the NDMA/PDMAs/DDMAs and in line with interagency contingency planning process led by OCHA.

FSC - Contingency Plan 2012 1


Table of Contents

1. Executive summary

4

2. Hazard and risk analysis 2.1 Tropical cyclones and monsoon floods 2.2 Flood prone areas 2.3 Risks to food security 2.4 Planning scenarios

5-9

3. Objectives and strategies 3.1 Objectives 3.2 Guiding principles

9-10

4. Management and coordination arrangements 4.1 Role of Food Security Cluster 4.2 Inter-Cluster coordination 4.3 Integration of cross-cutting issues

10-11

5. Food Security Cluster Response plan 5.1 Disaster preparedness and risk reduction activities 5.2 Response Plan 5.3 Immediate response requirement

5.3.1 Food Assistance 5.3.2 Livestock inputs 5.3.3 Agriculture inputs 5.3.4 Human resources

5.4 Responsibilities and role of the authorities 5.5 Gaps and constraints

11-17

6. Annexes I. TOR of the Food Security Cluster

II. Key Cluster contacts III. Guidelines for beneficiary selection and targeting (by Protection

Cluster) IV. Protection Mainstreaming in Food Security V. Historical floods per Province/districts (Graphs)

VI. Historical floods (Maps)

18-36


Acronyms

CBO Community Based Organization

CFW Cash for Work

DDMA District Disaster Management Authority

DFSLA Detailed Food Security and Livelihood Assessment

DRR Disaster Risk Reduction

DRM Disaster Risk Management

FFD Flood Forecasting Division

FFW Food for Work

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

GoP Government of Pakistan

HCT Humanitarian Country Team

ICCM Inter-Cluster Coordination Mechanism

IDP Internally Displaced Person

MIRA Multi-Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment

MSNA Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment

NDMA National Disaster Management Authority

NGO Non-Government Organization

NOC No Objection Certificates

OFWM On Farm Water Management

PMD Pakistan Meteorological Department

PDMA Provincial Disaster Management Authority

TSSU Temporary Settlement Support Unit

WMO World Meteorological Organization

UN United Nations

UNOCHA UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

WFP World Food Programme


1. Executive summary

The Food Security Cluster (FSC) contingency plan considers options in the event of an emergency, by

taking into account scenarios, historical frequency of floods, planning assumptions, preparedness and

response plans. Stakeholders of the Food Security Cluster, co-chaired by FAO, WFP and NDMA will

coordinate efforts in the event of an emergency and agree upon a plan to prepare for cyclone and

monsoon-related emergencies in the most at-risk districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and

Balochistan provinces of Pakistan.

The Food Security Cluster aims to save lives, avert hunger, protect rural livelihoods of the people

affected by disasters and initiate early recovery activities to enable these populations to rebuild their

livelihoods by coordinating an effective relief and early recovery response, through the:

Provision of emergency food assistance and livestock support to the affected population,

immediately after the crisis, through a vast network of Food Security Cluster partners.

Provision of nutritionally-fortified high energy biscuits and ready–to-use supplementary food to

children aged 2-12 years and 6-23 months (respectively) on a blanket basis.

Integrate cross-cutting themes such as gender, environment and social protection in food security interventions.

The FSC will respond to the immediate needs whilst considering short-term early recovery, medium-

term rehabilitation and long-term development as well as reflections on exit strategy; participate in

inter-agency/cluster assessments (led by OCHA); and develop an appropriate response strategy for the

Food Security sector for consolidated appeals.

The Food Security Cluster is represented by approximately 200 member organizations (International and

National NGOs, UN Agencies, NDMA, PDMAs, DDMAs) and has fully operational offices in KP,

Balochistan, and Sindh provinces, including district-level presence, which can be mobilized in the event

of an emergency.

Alongside distribution of the general family food basket1, nutritionally-fortified high energy biscuits and

ready–to-use supplementary food will be provided to children aged 2-12 years and 6-23 months

(respectively) on a blanket basis to preclude nutritional decline. In case of a flood emergency, funding

provided, WFP and partners can start food distribution within one week.

Livestock protection assistance should take place from the 1st week to 2 months of flooding and most

urgent needs within the context of the planning situations are provision of livestock feed, treatments

and vaccinations, and shelter, where possible.

1 Family Food basket consists of: 80 kg fortified wheat flour, 8kg pulses, 1 kg iodized salt and 4.5 kg vegetable oil.

Alongside distribution of the general family food basket, nutritionally-fortified high energy biscuits and ready–to-use supplementary food will be provided to children aged 2-12 years and 6-23 months (respectively).


2. Hazard and risk analyses

2.1 Tropical cyclones and monsoon floods The annual summer monsoons result in heavy cyclones and weather systems-based precipitation originating from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The Bay of Bengal related weather systems tend to traverse the Indian landmass and cause heavy precipitation along the southern reaches of the Himalayas along Pir Panjal range in Kashmir which constitutes the catchment region for all of Pakistan’s major rivers, except the Indus. Offshoots of the Hindukush mountains, like the Koh-e-Sulaiman range, limits monsoon impact in the west of the country. Some of the weather systems originating from Bay of Bengal and to a lesser extent, the Arabian Sea result in occurrence of tropical cyclones in the North Arabian Sea which impacts the coast of Sindh and Balochistan provinces, like cyclone Yemyin in 2007. In recent times, cyclones have tended to occur more frequently, though most do not seriously impact on Pakistan’s coastline. However, the cyclone of 1999 seriously impacted Thatta and Badin districts of Sindh province and affected approximately 600,000 people and claimed 202 lives. The 2007 cyclone Yemyin had a much wider imprint spanning to 26 districts of Balochistan and Sindh provinces and affected approximately 2.5 million people, with a loss of nearly 400 lives. In Sindh, vulnerable regions are the low-lying areas and, therefore, cyclone surges extend quite some distances inland and water does not recede for long periods. Intense winds normally accompany cyclones and cause widespread damage. Cyclones usually tend to occur during the months of May and June and during September and October, before, or in the aftermath, of the flood season. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) is responsible for tropical cyclone detection, tracking and issuance of early warning and updates. The PMD works in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Warnings and forecasts are disseminated by PMD’s Islamabad office and updated on their website (http://www.pakmet.com.pk). Flash floods occur predominantly in the mountainous and semi-mountainous regions while more prolonged riverine floods occur in the adjoining flood plains of tributary rivers and the main Indus River of southern KP, western Punjab, and north-western and south-western Sindh provinces. While such floods are increasing in recent times because of changing weather patterns, its humanitarian consequences are conspicuous owing to absence of any viable local early warning system and the sudden onset nature of the hazard. Moreover, most areas vulnerable to flash flooding lie outside the coverage of the early warning systems deployed for riverine floods. Loss of livestock is more common in areas prone to flash floods and riverine areas without early warning systems while damage and loss of standing crops, livestock disease and loss of seed/food stocks are common to both. Damage to irrigation and aquaculture infrastructure is more destructive in flash flood areas and require more intensive reconstruction efforts, while damage in riverine areas, although serious, can usually be rectified through de-silting, cleaning and relining of canals, watercourses, tanks, ponds, etc. 2.2 Flood prone areas Over the past 60 years, Pakistan has faced 14 major flood events of varying intensities and with an increasing frequency over last few years. Historical data of flood-affected areas in Pakistan from 1950 to 2011 shows a sharp increase in the frequency of floods from 2003 to 2011. In the 1950s, two flood events were documented (in 1950 and 1956), in the 1970s, three floods affected the country (1973, 1976, and 1978) and from 1988 to 1998, four major floods were recorded (1988, 1992, 1996 and 1998). From 2003 to 2011, five major flood events affected the country, four of which took place between 2007 and 2011; almost one flood each year.


The intensity of flooding has escalated dramatically in the 2000s, when all floods recorded in this period have affected more than two million people. The last two flood events in 2010 and 2011 affected 18 and 5 million people, respectively.

Geographically, the floods trend shows that Balochistan and Sindh provinces have the highest number of districts affected (three to five times or more) and therefore the highest number of districts at risk in 2012.

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Frequency of floods in PakistanPeriod: 1950 to 2011

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Population affected by floods in PakistanPeriod: 1950 to 2011


In Balochistan, Jaffarabad was affected by five flood events and Naseerabad by four, clearly indicating that the two districts are at a higher flood risk. Kech, Bolan and Sibbi were affected three times by floods over the last 60 years. In Sindh, the districts of Larkana and Dadu have been affected four times while the districts of Khairpur, Jacobabad and Thatta have been affected three times each. It is worth noting that over the last 60 years, 22 districts in Sindh have been affected by floods of different intensity and with varying frequencies. In KP, the districts of Charsadda and Swat appear to be the two at highest risk of floods (each affected four times), while Peshawar was affected three times. Punjab is better off compared to the other provinces in terms of flood frequency per district, as Multan has been affected three times while Lahore, Kasoor, Muzaffargarh, D.G. Khan, Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhang and Chiniot have been affected twice. Although the frequency of floods per district in Punjab is not as high as Sindh and Balochistan, it has to be considered that overall 18 districts were affected by flooding over the last 60 years. For more details see Annex VI. The map below highlights the districts in Pakistan that have experienced flooding from 1950-2011, and the frequency of floods in those areas. According to data from different sources (NDMA, PMD and FFD), the districts of Dadu and Larkana in Sindh, Jaffarabad and Naseerabad in Balochistan, and Charsada and Swat in KP, have had the highest number of floods since 1950.

2.3. Risks to food security

Considering the last update provided by the Government that expects 5-15% above long term average

rains during the upcoming 2012 monsoon season, the food security sector will take account of the

potential hazards to crop, livestock and fisheries production as well as food and nutrition security and


supply of cash (income) for rural men and women in flood-prone areas. However, in low-lying areas

where land was inundated for long periods of time, flooding can be useful to flush out any accumulated

salts – dependent on the de-silting of drainage ditches.

In detail, there are six risk-accentuating factors which must be addressed through short and medium-

term food security relief and early recovery responses in areas affected by the possible 2012 floods:

i. Changes in the morphology of rivers as a consequence of the 2010 and 2011 floods, which is evident in all the river systems. This cause untrained flow patterns which can endanger populations residing near rivers, as well as the protective and communication infrastructure even in a moderate flooding situation;

ii. Populations residing in river beds and flood-prone plains, in particular Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the landless;

iii. Downgraded water regulation capacity of some rivers, reservoirs and irrigation systems due to damages of the head works, diversion structures and other regulatory structures will affect flood impact;

iv. Depleted flood impact mitigation capacities of (flood) protection embankments, reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure due to breaches, siltation and/or inappropriate repairs;

v. Changes in the soil/water saturation capacity and soil salinity of inundated lands, particularly in the low lying areas of Balochistan and Sindh provinces.2;

vi. Degraded coping abilities of rural households3 who have not yet recovered fully from the 2011 floods, and to a certain extent, from the 2010 floods (with reference to food production, market access, nutrition, access to safe water and sanitation, etc).

Contingency planning within the Food Security Cluster should also consider protection issues,

particularly in regards to vulnerable households that include landless, tenants, the sick, disabled, elderly,

boys and girls, pregnant/lactating women, female-headed households. Efforts, led by the NDMA to

support survivors of natural disasters over the last decade have resulted in much life-saving food and

livelihoods support. However, the cumulative impact of the 2010 and 2011 floods has fractured

community cohesion, stressed extended family support networks and resulted in on-going psycho-social

needs. These multiple factors have weakened the protective safety nets, especially for women, the

elderly, the disabled and children.

2.4 Planning scenarios

The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) agreed with NDMA not to develop a best case, worst case and

expected scenario but to agree on a number of assumptions that should be considered by the different

Clusters in developing the contingency and preparedness plan. For planning purposes, the HCT agreed

to use benchmarking figures for five situations4 ranging from a 100,000 to 5,000,000 people to provide

an estimation of the costs of the different kind of interventions. Below, some of the planning

assumptions are:

2 E.g. Jaffarabad, Nasirabad, Dadu, Jacobabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Tando Allah Yar, Umer Kot, Mirpur Khas, Badin,

Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Matiari and Hyderabad Districts.

3 Particularly vulnerable men, women, girls and boys, as well as the elderly and disabled.

4 The five planning assumptions are affected population numbering: 100 000, 500,000, 1 million, 2 million and 5 million persons.


By adding the number of people that were affected in 2010 and 2011 floods, NDMA estimates some 29.2 million people would be affected in the worst case scenario, of which, only a proportion would require relief support.

In the most likely scenario, the HCT will plan to support approximately 30 percent of the affected population;

Response planning must take into account 2010 and 2011 flood impact and coping mechanisms utilized by vulnerable populations (especially women)

Humanitarian contributions to the response will be determined as a consequence of coordinated planning with government counterparts, and only after the Government’s request for support.

Insecurity will challenge the response to any crisis;

Access constraints can hamper humanitarian response such as limited access to affected areas due

to standing water, freedom of movement due to NOC requirements;

In a monsoon-related crisis, Government will provide the initial response, and will call on the

international community to assist, if needed and as appropriate;

All humanitarian assistance is provided under the humanitarian imperative;

Already existing instances of malnutrition, food insecurity and disease, as well as lack of proper basic

infrastructure and facilities, can compound the impact of any crisis.

3. Objective and strategies

3.1 Objectives

The Food Security Cluster aims to save lives, avert hunger, protect rural livelihoods of those affected by

disasters and initiate early recovery activities to enable these populations (both men and women) to

rebuild their livelihoods. More specifically, the Food Security Cluster will aim to:

Provide immediate life saving food assistance in the relief phase.

Prevent deterioration of nutritional status for young children and lactating/pregnant women.

Protect and preserve livestock assets, as well as restore food security and livelihoods.

3.2 Guiding principles

Responses under the Food Security Cluster are based on the principle of a coherent and coordinated

approach to timely and consistent assistance to the consequences of major cyclone and flooding crises

in order to re-establish the food security and restore the livelihoods of the affected population (both

men and women). The effects of cyclones and floods may destroy livelihood assets, increase food

insecurity levels and leave populations extremely vulnerable or in state of destitution from which they

may not be able to recover without external assistance. In this context, the Food Security Cluster,

recognizes and draws upon the strengths of different agencies; actively seeks to identify gaps and

weaknesses and agreeing on actions to address these; supports Government and civil society in their

response, and ensures needs (including dignity and safety) of women, children, disabled and the most

vulnerable members of the society.


This contingency plan is based on the principle of a coherent and coordinated approach in carrying out a timely

and consistent response to save lives, avert hunger, protect and restore livelihoods of the affected communities.

The key guiding principles identified by the Food Security Cluster are to:

Support the GoP in ensuring food security of the disaster-affected rural population (men, women, boys and girls as well as elderly and disabled persons).

Coordinate with the government on needs and damage assessments.

Harness the capacity/resources of district stakeholders in the collection of data on losses and damages, warehouse capacities, inputs distribution, training, etc.

Identify focal points/organizations in the disaster-prone districts and create a network of stakeholders for coordination and effective response.

Launch emergency response, designed to save lives, avert hunger, restore and protect rural livelihoods without any gender discrimination by providing emergency food assistance, nutritionally-fortified food to children (boys and girls) up to 12 years, and livestock support to the affected population especially to women (in the absence of male), in a dignified and safe manner, immediately after the crisis.

Restore and protect rural livelihoods through the provision of immediate agricultural support to the affected population5 immediately after the disaster/crises.

Restore and improve farm-based food security and livelihoods through essential in-kind and capacity building support addressing needs of different groups of the affected population.

4. Management and coordination arrangements

4.1 Role of the Food Security Cluster

The key roles identified for the Food Security Cluster are:

Support Government of Pakistan in coordinating the food security emergency and early recovery responses;

Participate in multi-cluster assessments (i.e. MIRA and MSNA) and/or conduct food security specific assessments as needed;

Develop cluster response strategy and action plan for the Flash Appeal, based on the MIRA findings;

Provide an effective relief response whilst considering short-term early recovery, medium-term rehabilitation and long-term development as well as reflections on an exit strategy;

Build the capacity of local authorities, local communities (male and female groups) and partner organizations in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and community-based Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), to reduce impact of future natural disasters.

4.2 Inter-Cluster coordination

The Food Security Cluster will participate at the Inter-Agency Cluster Coordination (ICCM) and

Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) meeting as well as maintain constant liaison and exchange of

information with its government counterparts.

5 As many Pakistani farm families depend on the labour and skills of both men and women, with an average ratio of two

men for each woman, gender analysis would drive the rural livelihoods response.


The Food Security Cluster will liaise with other Clusters for relevant integration namely:

Logistics Cluster for logistics hubs available, mapping of road access, storage facilities, boats and

other forms of transport.

TSSU Cluster for particularly in camp or acknowledged temporary settlements ensuring food

and livestock assistance to the extent possible.

Nutrition Cluster to ensure nutritional issues are identified and appropriately

addressed/integrated.

4.3 Integration of cross-cutting components

The Food Security Cluster will liaise with the Protection Cluster and Gender Task Force to ensure a

dignified and balanced response that takes into account the needs of the most vulnerable groups.

Members of the Food Security Cluster will be encouraged to use the beneficiary Selection Guidelines

developed by the Protection Cluster to ensure food security interventions are designed to support the

needs of all vulnerable groups in the society (i.e. men, women, boys and girls, the sick, and elderly,

disabled). As women play a crucial role in ensuring food security at the household level and participate

in food, agricultural and livestock activities, certain interventions will be designed with particular focus

on women such as agricultural packages with specially made tools, improved vegetable gardening,

poultry restocking, training sessions on nutrition promotion, food preservation and processing and

livestock care.

5. Food Security Cluster Response Plan

5.1 Disaster preparedness and risk reduction activities

Pakistan is a hazard prone country and the most frequent hazards are floods and droughts. The most

affected sector by these hazards is the agriculture sector and, in particular the poor smallholder farming

communities. Whenever a disaster hits, a response is immediately provided, but besides a response,

there is a need for prevention, mitigation and preparedness for disasters. To achieve this objective,

disaster preparedness needs to be mainstreamed in the planning process of all important stakeholders

in the food security sector, which includes NDMA, Provincial and District Directorates and offices for

Agriculture, Livestock, On-Farm Water Management (OFWM), Fisheries and Planning and Development,

PDMAs and DDMAs. Strengthening of the Early Warning system of the PMD to carry out timely weather

forecast and climate advisory through the most widely transmitted channel i.e., the radio, will enable

the rural communities to be better prepared for any ensuing disaster. Capacity building of local

authorities at the flood prone priority districts is also highly imperative. These are in the form of

warehouses where all PDMAs and 50 priority districts will be covered to stockpile a limited quantity of

both food and non-food items with a capacity of 500 and 300 metric tons, respectively. PDMAs and

disaster prone priority districts in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, KP and GB are also provided with the

services of 40 speed boats should there be needs to deploy assessment teams, medical doctors,

transport medicines and relief items as well as food to a limited extent on the rivers and sea to reach

people cut-off by flood. The ultimate beneficiaries of these interventions would be impoverished

farmers involved in food and crop production, livestock rearing, fish farming, forestry and marine

fisheries in disaster-prone areas of Pakistan – in particular those rural communities most severely

affected by the risk of floods during the 2012 monsoon.


Some specific activities of disaster preparedness for the food security sector might include, but are

not limited to:

Table 1: Disaster preparedness and risk reduction activities

Preparedness Actions Time frame Responsible

Organize training sessions for International NGOs and Local NGOs at Provincial Levels

Conducting assessments in emergencies, including possible use of PDA based system for rapid assessment

Appeal processes

Project cycle management

Livestock in emergencies: Guidelines and standards (LEGS) Training for Local Authorities

Emergency food distributions

Safe distributions

May - July 2012

FSC & Cluster Members

Multi-Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment

Contribute in development of assessment methodology and questionnaire with OCHA Assessment Working Group (MIRA).

Jointly with cluster members, development of damage assessment/livelihood and food security assessment templates, standard operating procedures and the compilation of other useful resources.

Collection of socio-economic sex disaggregated baseline data, e.g. crop planted areas and livestock populations from the relevant agriculture department; field-to-fork gender analysis of key commercial and home-consumption commodities; market assessments; pricing of agriculture and livestock inputs; information on disaster-prone areas (including demographics, livelihoods, economic and social indicators) through Hazard and Livelihood Vulnerability Assessments (HLV).

May - July 2012

FSC & Cluster Members

Mapping

Creation of hazard vulnerability and hazard maps.

Definition of crop/risk calendar, farming systems and cropping patterns of hazard-prone areas.

Mapping of implementing partners and stakeholders (operational and technical) at the national, provincial, district, tehsil, union council, and village, as well as community levels.

Inventory of resources, human and material, e.g. staffing (operational and technical), suppliers, warehouses, etc.

Compilation of Cluster contact list including NDMA, PDMA, District Authorities, Ministries and Government agencies, I/NGO, Donors.

June 2012 FSC/OCHA


Harmonization of operational procedures

Preparation of Rabi and Kharif cropping season guidelines, and development and sharing of technical specification for different crops and livestock interventions with implementing partners.

Advocate organizations in FSC to integrate DRR and DRM components into food security interventions, including training sessions on household-level preparedness.

Training of partners on appeal process, project cycle management, Livestock in Emergencies: Guidelines and Standards (LEGS).

Ongoing FAO and WFP with FSC members

5.2 Response Plan

Table 2: Timeframe and Responses of Food Security Cluster

Timeframe Responses

Immediate

(Week 1-2)

Response options Launch lifesaving food assistance emergency response:

Immediate food assistance for flood-affected families (especially female-headed families) through distribution of monthly food rations, provision of cash or vouchers to purchase food items).

Blanket supplementary feeding programme – alongside relief rations.

Protect surviving livestock of affected families (through provision of shelter, feed, medicines, de-wormers, vaccinations).

Processes

Activate food security coordination structure in the affected provinces and if possible, at district level.

Coordination of overall food assistance response through Food Cluster mechanism in all the affected areas in collaboration with NDMA and PDMAs.

Participate in Multi-Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA), to determine the immediate food security assistance requirements.

Assess food requirements and stock availability.

(Week 3 - 8) Response options

Continue relief operation with:

Relief food assistance for flood-affected families (especially female-headed families) through distribution of monthly food rations, provision of cash or vouchers to purchase food items)


Provide immediate livelihood protection (cash interventions to reduce debt, offer immediate source of income for multiple purposes).

Promote resumption of agricultural activities (through provision of agriculture seeds, fertilizer, tools), particularly in cases of flash flooding.

Processes

Analysis of MIRA results and contribute to develop the inter-cluster MIRA report.

Flash Appeal: o Develop sector response strategy for flash appeal, based on MIRA findings. o Vetting and selection of food security proposals for inclusion in Flash Appeal. o Contribute in consolidation and finalization of appeal document.

Advocate for donor support.


Timeframe Responses

Short-term

(2 to 6 months after

disaster – Rabi planting

season)

Response options

Continue relief operation with:

Relief food assistance for flood-affected families (especially female-headed families) through distribution of monthly food rations, provision of cash or vouchers to purchase food items).


Rehabilitation of damaged agricultural infrastructure (Cash-for-work (CFW), Food-for-work (FFW), vouchers)

Assistance to farmers for resumption of agricultural activities (provision of critical crop and vegetable packages for Rabi season).

Assistance for families with livestock (provision of feed packages, fodder packages, poultry restocking, veterinary support, vouchers to purchase inputs for livestock).

Awareness sessions for both male and female farmers such as on nutrition promotion, crop management and animal husbandry.

Processes

Participate in detailed Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) to guide decisions on targeting, ration size, time frame for support, etc.

Analysis of Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) results (OCHA-driven process) and contribute to the process.

Revised appeal: o Develop sector response strategy for appeal, based on MSNA findings o Vetting and selection of food security proposals for inclusion in revised appeal o Contribute in consolidation and finalization of appeal document

Advocate for donor support

Medium-term

(7 to 18 months – two

cropping (Kharif and

Rabi) seasons)

Response options

Rehabilitation of damaged and degraded lands and Farmer-Managed Water Courses (FMWC) with Cash-for-work, Food-for-work, vouchers.

Livestock restocking (poultry, sheep, goat along with animal feed/fodder packages).

Provision of materials for construction of household and community-based grain and seed storage facilities.

Rehabilitation of damaged orchards (Cash-for-work).

Promotion of agro-forestry for livelihoods (firewood, timber, sale of saplings).

Trainings sessions for both male and female farmers on crop and livestock management, vegetable gardening, post-harvest management, food processing, nutrition promotion and income generation.

Integration of DRR and DRM components in food security and livelihood interventions and training sessions for households and community-based organizations, farmer and women groups, etc on disaster preparedness.

Processes

Conduct jointly with cluster members, a Detailed Food Security and Livelihood Assessment (DFSLA) to evaluate impact of humanitarian and early recovery interventions, analyze gaps, and identify outstanding and different needs of men and women.

Note: The use of voucher modality will be based on availability of the items, as well as proximity and

functionality of markets.


5.3 Immediate resource requirements

5.3.1 Food assistance

In case of a flood emergency, funding provided, WFP and partners can start food distribution within one week.

The monthly food basket consists of 80 kg of fortified wheat flour, 8 kg pulses, 1 kg of iodized salt and

4.5 kg of vegetable oil. Alongside distribution of the general family food basket, nutritionally-fortified

high energy biscuits and ready–to-use supplementary food will be provided to children aged 2-12 years

and 6-23 months (respectively) on a blanket basis to preclude nutritional declines.

Table 3: Emergency Food Relief Items

5.3.2 Livestock Inputs

Table 4: Emergency Support For Livestock

Note: The above calculation is based on:

1) 40 percent of the affected population is dependent mainly on livestock;

2) The average livestock holding in Pakistan is 2-3 cattle/buffalo and/or 4-6 sheep or goats per

family;

EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF ITEMS FOR 3 MONTHS

POPULATION Cereals

Mt

Pulses

Mt

Veg. Oil

Mt

Salt

Mt

High

Energy

Biscuits

MT

RUSF Mt

Cost of Inputs Cost of

Operation

(USD) (USD)

100,000 3,429 342 192 42 192 63 2,182,431 1,393,656

500,000 17,142 1,713 963 213 963 321 10,943,139 6,978,546

1,000,000 34,287 3,429 1,929 429 1,929 642 21,897,033 13,962,708

2,000,000 68,571 6,858 3,858 858 3,858 1,287 43,804,182 27,927,744

5,000,000 171,429 17,142 9,642 2,142 9,642 3,213 109,484,526 69,810,246

EMERGENCY SUPPORT FOR LIVESTOCK

POPULATION Population depending on

livestock (40%) Livestock-based

HHs for assistance

Cost of Inputs Cost of Operation

(USD) (USD)

100,000 40,000 5,700 1.60 million 470,000

500,000 200,000 28,600 7.9 million 2.4 million

1,000,000 400,000 57,100 15.7 million 4.7 million

2,000,000 800,000 114,300 31.4 million 9.4 million

5,000,000 2,000,000 285,700 78.5 million 23.6 million


3) The cost of livestock package (a temporary shelter, 1 feeding trough, 1 drinking trough, de-worming

treatment, fodder for two months and feed integration for one month) for small ruminants is

approximately USD 200 per households;

4) The cost of livestock package (a temporary shelter, 1 feeding trough, 1 drinking trough, de-worming treatment, fodder for two months and feed integration for one month) for large ruminants is approximately USD 350 per households;

5) It has been estimated that on average a livestock package will cost USD 275 per household.

5.3.3 Agriculture Inputs

Table 5: Agriculture Inputs

AGRICULTURE INPUTS

POPULATION Population

dependent on agriculture (60%)

Agri-based HHs for Assistance

Cost of Inputs Cost of Operation

(USD) (USD)

100,000 60,000 8,500 780,000 235,000

500,000 300,000 42,800 4 Mil 1.2 million

1,000,000 600,000 85,700 7.9 Mil 2.4 million

2,000,000 1,200,000 171,400 15.8 Mil 4.7 million

5,000,000 3,000,000 428,600 39.4 Mil 11.8 million

Note: Above calculation is based on:

1) 60 percent of the affected population is dependent on agriculture;

2) The cost of a crop kit ((50 Kg wheat seed, 50 Kg DAP, 50 Kg Urea and 405 gm of vegetable seeds) is

estimated to be USD 92 per household.

5.3.4 Human Resources

Table 6: Human Resources and Capacity Mapping

HUMAN RESOURCES

Organization Availability in

Pakistan Surge Capacity Additional Resources Needed

FAO 102 program and cluster staff

6-10 staff from FAO HQ

and FAO Regional Office

(Bangkok) and, stand by

partners

If required, additional staff from the organization can be deployed as well as staff from stand-by partners can also be made available.

WFP 126+ Programme and VAM staff including rapid

assessment capacity using

PDA-based near real time

40 Programme and VAM

staff (31%)

If required, additional staff can be deployed from HQ as well as stand-by staff.

ACTED 1,000+ staff 600+ staff (60%)

Concern Worldwide 100 Concern + partner staff

Good capacity to scale up


5.4 Responsibility and authority

The contingency plan functions on the assumption that the Government of Pakistan (GoP) is primarily

responsible for any response to disasters and crises, including at the federal, provincial and district

levels. This contingency plan provides a timely and effective complement to the Government of Pakistan

response. Should the crisis exceed the GoP capacity to respond, and upon the request of the GoP (and

with ample physical and humanitarian access to the affected areas), the humanitarian community will

respond accordingly to pre-determined and agreed upon thresholds.

5.4.1 Key Stakeholders

OCHA and NDMA: Co-ordinate the overall disaster response network through the cluster mechanism supported by NDMA, PDMAs, DDMAs, Federal ministries and Provincial government line departments.

FAO and WFP: Lead UN agencies for the Food Security Cluster along with NDMA co-chair responsible for leading the assessment process, FLASH appeal process and coordinating food security response activities including 3W mapping and provide emergency food security and livelihood emergency support as needed.

Cluster Members (including I/NNGOs, CBOs, UN Agencies, Donors): Plan and implement disaster response activities for the affected populations.

5.5 Gaps and constraints

Despite thorough planning, the Food Security Cluster may face constraints that may hamper the

response including:

Table 7: Constraints with Coping Strategies

Constraints Mitigation

Limited accessibility to the area due to floods water,

broken roads and bridges.

Air-support, possible CIVMIL activities –

coordinated by OCHA and Logistics Cluster

Increased lead time in procurement of commodities Pre-positioning where possible

Local Purchase/Vouchers

Donors restrictions on use of available stock within

different projects and lack of funding

Advocacy for lifesaving campaign

Freedom of movement, delay in obtaining NOC/visa

particularly for international staff

Dialogue and pre-negotiated agreements with

GoP at policy level

Utilization of national staff and mobilizing of

Pakistani nationals working overseas

Save the Children 1700+ staff 1050 + staff (60%) More than 800 local ex-staff’s data are available with SC HR and they can be hired instantly. Staff on International Global Emergency Roster can be deployed in case of an emergency.


Annexes

Annex I - TOR of the Food Security Cluster

Annex II - Key Cluster Contacts

Annex III - Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Guidelines

Annex IV - Protection Mainstreaming in Food Security

Annex V - Historical Floods per Province/District

Annex-VI - Historical floods (Maps)


Annex I. TOR of the Food Security Cluster

FOOD SECURITY CLUSTER PAKISTAN

Terms of Reference

The Food Security Cluster in Pakistan will provide an action-oriented forum for bringing together

national and international humanitarian partners to improve the timeliness and impact of

humanitarian assistance on the lives of crisis-affected population in Pakistan. In particular, it will

help ensure coherent, coordinated and integrated humanitarian responses that are driven by the

assessed food security needs of the crisis-affected population.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, with the support of OCHA, retains responsibility for ensuring the

adequacy, coherence and effectiveness of the overall humanitarian response and is accountable to

the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).

In line with mandate of the global Food Security Cluster, and with the approval of the Humanitarian

Coordinator, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United

Nations World Food Programme (WFP), will act as the Cluster co-leads in close collaboration with

the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and concerned Pakistan Disaster

Management Authorities (PDMA).

Establishment and Maintenance of an Appropriate Food Security Coordination Mechanism

o Ensure appropriate coordination with all humanitarian partners (including government institutions,

national and international NGOs, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, International

Office for Migration (IOM) and other international organizations), through the establishment and

maintenance of appropriate coordination mechanisms for the Food Security Cluster at the national

and provincial levels;

o Secure commitments from humanitarian partners to respond to identified needs, ensuring the

appropriate distribution of responsibilities within the Cluster, with clearly defined focal points for

specific issues where necessary;

o Promote a timely and appropriate emergency response, while also considering the need for early

recovery planning as well as disaster prevention and risk-reduction activities;

o Ensure effective links with other relevant Clusters, in particular Nutrition;

o Represent the interests of the Cluster in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator and other

stakeholders.


Mapping of Cluster Partners’ Capacities and Activities

o Undertake regular 3Ws mapping (“who, what, where”) to ensure that information on the

programmes and projects of Cluster partners is comprehensive and up-to-date, as a basis of

monitoring humanitarian response, and identifying eventual gaps;.

Coordination with National/Local Authorities, State Institutions, Local Civil Society and Other

Relevant Actors

o Ensure that Cluster member’s humanitarian responses build on local capacities;

o Ensure appropriate links to promote coordination and information exchange with national and local

authorities, government institutions at the Federal and Provincial levels, local civil society and other

relevant actors.

Attention to Priority Cross-Cutting Issues

o Ensure the integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues in sectoral needs assessments, analysis,

planning, monitoring and response (e.g. Environment, Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction);

Needs Assessment and Analysis

o Proactively organise and participate in needs assessment and analyze the data for sectoral

application;

o Develop/update agreed response strategies and action plans for the Cluster and ensure that these

are adequately reflected in overall country strategies, such as Flash Appeals or the Common

Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP).

Smooth Transition from Immediate to Longer-Term Programming

o Identify strategies and approaches that would enable Food Security cluster members’ activities to

efficiently bridge the gap between emergency assistance and longer-term development assistance.

Application of Standards

o Ensure that Cluster members are aware of relevant policy guidelines and technical standards related

to food security activities, and that their responses are in-line with them.

Monitoring and Reporting o Ensure adequate reporting and effective information sharing, including the updating of the

PAKresponse and the foodsecuritycluster.org websites; o Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place to review the impact of the cluster’s activities

and progress against implementation plans.

Advocacy and Resource Mobilization

o Identify common advocacy concerns, including resource requirements, and contribute key messages

to broader advocacy initiatives of the Humanitarian Coordinator and other actors;

o Develop and implement a communication strategy on behalf of all Cluster members, and the Food

Security sector in general, to ensure that key decision-makers, including government and donor

partners, are aware of the needs, priorities and importance of necessary support to the sector in

post-crisis situations;


o Advocate for donors to fund humanitarian actors to carry out priority activities in the sector

concerned, while at the same time encouraging Cluster members to mobilize resources for their

activities through their usual channels.

Training and Capacity Building

o Provide needs-based trainings and capacity building initiatives for Cluster members;

o Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of the national authorities and civil society.

Provision of Assistance or Services as a Last Resort

o As agreed by the IASC Principals, Cluster leads are responsible for acting as the provider of last

resort (subject to access, security and availability of funding) to meet the agreed priority needs and

will be supported by the HC and the ERC in their efforts in this regard;

Role of Cluster Members

o Humanitarian actors who participate in the development of common humanitarian action plans are

expected to be proactive partners in assessing needs, developing appropriate strategies and plans

for the sector, and implementing agreed priority activities.

o Provision is also made in the Cluster for those humanitarian actors who may wish to participate as

observers, mainly for information-sharing purposes.


Annex II- Key Cluster Contacts

Name Title Location Organization Phone Email Address

Andrea Berloffa Co-Chair Islamabad FAO 92-346-8544177 [email protected]

Dorte Jessen Co Chair Islamabad WFP 92-345-8560175 [email protected]

Saifa Asif Assistant Cluster Coordinator

Islamabad FAO 92-346-8544196 [email protected]

Ruby Khan Coordination Program Officer

Islamabad FAO 92-346-8544189 [email protected]

Dr. Abdul Baseer Khan Achakzai

Co-Chair Islamabad NDMA 92-51-9207069 [email protected]

Ashraf Ali Provincial Cluster Coordinator

Sindh FAO 92-346-8544215 [email protected]

Khalid Khatki Provincial Cluster Coordinator

KP FAO 92-346-8544175 [email protected]

Shahnawaz Sheikh Assistant Cluster Coordinator

Balochistan FAO 92-346-8544247 [email protected]

Note: Any change in the above cluster contact list will be shared with cluster members accordingly.

mailto:[email protected]


Annex III. Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Guidelines

1. Independent selection and verification of beneficiaries through organisation and project

specific needs-based selection criteria

Each organization must develop and use clear criteria for beneficiary selection, using the following beneficiary selection and targeting guidelines to inform these criteria

Beneficiary selection criteria should be available to all and criteria must be widely disseminated to the affected population and shared with local government authorities. Clear and understandable justification must be provided for any targeting of aid to a specific group or for exclusions of a specific group.

Organisations should not rely solely on lists of affected or registered locations or beneficiaries provided by political or other influential actors including civil servants, landlords, military actors, community or tribal leaders.

Where possible organisations should always carry out their own needs-based assessments following these guidelines and further guidelines developed by your sector.

Where access is restricted, organisations should ensure that targeted locations and beneficiary lists are cross-checked by an independent monitor such as a team comprised of a local NGO, local authority and community member with representation from both men and women and where applicable representation from minority communities.

Cross-checking of beneficiary lists should take place to address both inclusion (to ensure that only those who meet the needs-based criteria are receiving aid) and concerns around exclusion of eligible beneficiaries – particularly vulnerable and socially or politically marginalized groups.

2. Prioritisation of the most vulnerable

The agencies agree that the following will be their working definition of vulnerable persons: Persons who are exposed to a combination of risks and have a limited ability to cope in the face of those risks. This may include vulnerable or socially marginalized groups, such as but not limited to: religious or ethnic minorities, transgender people, women, female-headed households, children, child-headed households, landless persons, non-document holding Pakistani nationals, refugees - including Afghan refugees, stateless persons, undocumented migrants, older persons, persons with disabilities, persons with chronic diseases or serious medical conditions, the illiterate and the chronically poor. In many cases, the most vulnerable are persons or families who have a combination of these characteristics. This is not an exhaustive list and identification of the most vulnerable may also be influenced by sector specific needs and local dynamics. Population displacement (internal or cross-border) features as one of the most important factors impacting on vulnerability; displacement brings multiple risks, reduces capacity to cope and impacts on possible responses. Vulnerability is influenced by displacement, geographic location, specific cultural and social power dynamics, access to information and education, access to material and financial resources, access to services and infrastructure, social support networks and specific characteristics of the group, family or individual. For this reason it is useful carry out a vulnerability assessment to understand the specific vulnerabilities of and within a population group as well as the existing capacity to cope.


3. Facilitate access to assistance for all, especially the most vulnerable: Restrictions can by

physical, social, cultural, legal, based on security or lack of information.

3.1 Inclusion and participation

Always consult with communities in planning and support their participation in decision making and implementation, including for the distribution of relief items.

Community committees, leadership structures, focus group or community discussions are often the main way for ordinary people to provide input in decision making processes.

In all consultations or planning for the delivery of services or distribution of aid, ensure that there is participation from men, women, older persons, persons with disabilities, minority communities.

Ensure that all vulnerable groups are proportionally represented and that their opinions are represented by the leadership or community committees. It is important to note that even when vulnerable groups participate in committees and leadership structures, discriminatory attitudes often continue to marginalise their role. They may be provided with few opportunities to speak and their input may not be listened to or taken seriously. This should be monitored and alternative consultation techniques should be used if it happens. For example, it might be important to consult women in a separate forum to men to allow them the freedom to express themselves.

Ensure that consultations are carried out in the local language, and that arrangements are made for persons with special needs such as deaf persons.

Inclusion and participation of the most vulnerable will help you identify how to ensure their access to the service or relief distribution.

3.2 Do not rely on civil or legal documents for beneficiary selection and inclusion criteria, as

reliance on this may exclude the most vulnerable who frequently lack documentation.

Ensure that programming and beneficiary selection does not exclude people who do not possess Computerised National Identify Cards (CNICs) as currently many people in Pakistan, including the most vulnerable, do not have these cards. As identified by NADRA, those lagging behind in registration for CNICs include women, persons living in Kacha areas (riverine/floodplains) and those living in remote rural areas and the illiterate. Refugees and stateless persons are also unable to register for the CNIC, but may also be in need of relief and recovery assistance.

Do not use Watan card ownership as a beneficiary selection criteria for further early recovery assistance as it has been identified that some of the most vulnerable were unable to access the Watan Card.6

Do not base relief assistance on formal land ownership or tenancy registration as many of the most vulnerable live in situations of landlessness and insecure tenancy.

Rather than using civil or legal documentation as beneficiary inclusion criteria, where possible, conduct assessments to determine those in most need and verify their identity and cross-check duplication through community leaders and local authorities

Establish procedures for supporting access to assistance for those that do not have the required documentation.

Also where possible, work with local civil society, NGOs, and government authorities to identify those who are lacking civil or legal documentation to find ways of ensuring appropriate documentation is provided to those who want it.

6 Protection Cluster report on Watan Phase I: ‘The Watan Scheme for Flood Relief: Protection Highlights 2010-

2011’.


3.3 Physical accessibility Physical distance may pose a problem for older persons, persons with disabilities, female headed households or single women, pregnant women, populations living in remote locations as well as the poorer members of community

Take the service or distribution point as close to the affected community as possible.

Identify locations where the less able bodied beneficiaries are located and carry out mobile services or special distributions.

Alternatively, facilitate access by providing transportation for older persons, persons with disabilities and pregnant women.

At service locations or distribution points provide seating for those less able to stand, prioritise these groups in queues and keep them safe from crowds.

Check that buildings or locations chosen for service provision or distributions are physically accessible for persons in wheelchairs or those unable to climb stairs.

Essential items such as water and sanitation facilities must be physically accessible

3.4 Socio-cultural accessibility

Ensure that buildings or locations chosen for service provision or distributions are socially and culturally appropriate and accessible to all. For example, do not use a mosque where women are not allowed to enter

Ensure that male and female staff are present to assist all beneficiaries

Ensure that separate queues, rooms and spaces are available for providing services or distributing aid to women observing purdah (separation of men and women). If separate spaces are not possible, organise separate times to assist women only

Essential items such as water and sanitation facilities must be placed in locations and adapted to allow women and children safe access, locations should be close, private, away from men and public locations

3.5 Safety and security for all beneficiaries must be considered when choosing locations,

distribution methods, access to essential items and services. The “Do No Harm” principle must be used as part of the guidance during planning of humanitarian assistance, that is, accessing aid should not place beneficiaries at further risk of harm.

Carry out risk assessments to gauge the different risk factors for different members of the community at distribution/service delivery locations, distribution methods, etc

Ensure that access to services and distribution is safe for all, including men, women, older persons, children, persons with disabilities, and minority communities.

Consider the safety and security needs of vulnerable groups. For example, physical distance, remote locations or male dominated spaces may pose major security risks to women and children trying to access them, including increased exposure to physical violence and sexual violence.

If locations are considered unsafe then vulnerable groups will either miss out on assistance, will become dependent on others for access which in turn exacerbates their vulnerability (they become vulnerable to exploitation or extortion), or they will be put at physical risk of harm.

Ensure that beneficiaries are not put at risk of dispossession and that their security of property and land is not put at risk.

3.6 Accessible Information

Information on distributions, assistance or services and beneficiary criteria must be accessible to all – this means making special effort to target those who are illiterate, blind, deaf, live in


remote locations, have restricted movement (including women) or marginalised to ensure they are aware of and will be able to access service provision and distributions.

Information should not rely on one form of dissemination, but must be distributed in a variety of ways through community groups, audio and visual media, and through community mobilisers and should target remote locations and marginalised groups.

Information must be disseminated in the local language.

4. Geographical coverage must be focussed on the areas and populations most in need, and not

only the most accessible areas.

Ensure that all affected locations and populations are identified and mapped before deciding on target locations. Coordinate with communities, civil-society, other NGOs and government civil servants to identify all affected locations.

Carry out independent needs and capacity assessments of locations and populations to identify the most in need and those with the lowest capacity to respond.

Coordinate with other assistance providers, within and in-between cluster/sectors and with the government officials, to ensure all affected areas and populations are assisted and standardise quality of assistance.

5. Bear in mind pre-existing social, cultural and political dynamics or practices that may

marginalise or exploit certain groups. This may be indirectly harmful and will leave certain

groups vulnerable to neglect.

Ensure that aid distribution is not used for political purposes, for example, ensure that it is not targeting certain political supporters, or used to gain votes. Aid should be based on need.

Ensure that affected populations themselves are targeted and not their landlords/landowners or tribal leaders, and do not rely on landlords or tribal leaders to distribute aid.

Ensure that organisations or individuals providing and delivering aid recognise all affected groups – irrespective of caste, class, gender, age, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation or political views.

6. Develop monitoring mechanisms to check that assistance is independent and needs based.

Reporting must be disaggregated by gender, age, disability and other vulnerability criteria used in beneficiary selection criteria.

Carry out spot checks and monitoring to check that all beneficiaries who have received or will receive assistance meet the established beneficiary criteria.

Work with local civil society, NGOs, and government authorities to identify any excluded groups who may qualify.

Establish grievance mechanisms to allow affected communities to appeal decisions, lodge complaints, or make suggestions.

Part II: Background to the Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Guidelines The findings from the Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluations (RTE) commissioned by IASC after the Pakistan floods in 2007 and 2010 identified that a principled approach and independent needs based response was missing and that coverage was poorly prioritised. The reports found that access to relief assistance was not appropriately targeted to ensure equitable access, especially for the most vulnerable and the


most vulnerable were narrowly categorized as widows and orphaned children which meant that many of the other vulnerable communities and families were not targeted for relief assistance A key recommendation of the 2011 RTE was that the ‘Special Envoy and HC/RC promotes needs based and principled approaches during humanitarian responses and all humanitarian actors need to commit to it’ (RTE 2011 p. 8). The Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Guidelines are based on the below noted recommendations from the RTEs of 2007 and 2011, and are grouped into two key areas, ‘lessons learnt’, and ‘key issues identified -problems for beneficiary selection’ A. Lessons Learnt: Non-prioritised and Politicised Response and Inequitable Coverage

The Inter-Agency Real Time Evaluation (RTE) commissioned by Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and conducted by DARA in January 2011 identified that a principled approach and independent needs based response was missing during the response to the 2010 floods in Pakistan. 7 The report specifically notes that due to the ‘sheer scale of the emergency, the response was soon stretched to the limit. As a result coverage was limited and poorly prioritized’ (RTE 2011 p.8). It goes on to note that, ‘a principled approach and independent needs based response was often missing due to interference, primarily at local levels from politicians, landlords or tribal leaders, but also due to limited access’ (RTE 2011 p. 56). The details of the findings are located in paragraphs 72-75 (RTE 2011 pp.36-38). During the 2007 floods the IASC Real Time Evaluation also identified that access to relief assistance was not appropriately targeted to ensure equitable access, especially for the most vulnerable. The 2007 report explains that it ‘was clear from the beginning that the relief operations were aimed at addressing beneficiary needs as a whole, and not at segmented communities with varying abilities to access relief goods (both physical and social)’ (RTE 2007 p.7). The 2007 RTE goes on to note that relief assistance also narrowly categorized the most vulnerable as widows and orphaned children which meant that many of the most vulnerable communities and families, including tenants, socially marginalized groups, ethnic, religious, or other minority communities, the politically marginalized and so on, were not targeted for relief assistance (RTE 2007 p.7). In 2010, these concerns from the 2007 RTE were echoed and expanded on in the Protection Cluster’s Rapid Protection Assessments that took place in the four flood affected provinces. Additionally, the same concerns are also noted in the Protection Cluster’s report on protection concerns during the Watan (CDCP) relief distribution ‘The Watan Scheme for Flood Relief: Protection Highlights 2010-2011’, and UNIFEM’s Rapid Gender Needs Assessment report. The need for improved beneficiary targeting is also outlined in the Government of Pakistan’s Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment (DNA) for the 2010 floods, where the Government identifies that urgent attention ‘to beneficiary identification and eligibility levels is required’ (DNA 2010 p. 91), as well as in the NDMA presentation on lessons learnt from the 2005 earthquake where support to the most vulnerable was identified as being inadequate. The recommendation of the 2011 RTE to address these issues was that the Special Envoy and HC/RC must promote ‘needs based and principled approaches during humanitarian responses and all Humanitarian actors need to commit to it’ (RTE 2011 p. 8).

7 http://daraint.org/about-us/


B. Key Issues Identified - Problems for Beneficiary Selection

1. Often, because of access restrictions, organizations were ‘directly given lists of beneficiaries by the local administration or feudal landlords. These beneficiary lists were not always verified or prioritised’ (RTE 2011 p.31). This meant that ‘The selection of beneficiaries was, at times, not done independently but was subordinated to political interference’ (RTE 2011 p.36). ‘Targeting was particularly weak as there was no systematic registration or verification process - often there were no beneficiary lists or selection criteria established’ (RTE 2011 p.36)

2. ‘When *beneficiary+ lists were prepared, these were not drawn up on the basis of vulnerability.

As a result, unknown quantities of assistance have reportedly reached those that were the least vulnerable, close to feudal landlords or connected through certain political affiliations’ (RTE 2011 p.36). ‘Many people from ethnic and tribal minorities and most vulnerable individuals and groups, such as widows or other female-headed households, were not prioritised and therefore deprived from any assistance at all’ (RTE 2011 p.36). In the 2007 flood response it was identified that vulnerability was narrowly defined as widowed women and orphaned children but this led to a neglect of many of the other vulnerable groups and the wider ‘context of the deprivation of entire communities to which they belong. Thus, there were some strategic interventions where those being actively denied access, or those who were unable to access relief (such as the landless, or those belonging to a difference caste) were excluded from being counted as vulnerable… Thus the opportunity to address vulnerability issues in a robust manner in the implementation of disaster relief and recovery was lost. The issues around data gathering mentioned later in this report added to the problems, as did the lack of resources for protection issues’ (RTE 2007 p.7).

3. Overall geographical coverage was found to be too focused on more accessible areas.

‘Humanitarian assistance was mostly concentrated in larger towns and areas that were more accessible … Smaller communities or entire areas in the same provinces received significantly less or no attention at all’ (RTE 2011 p. 38). ‘People that went into organised camps were better assisted than those in spontaneous camps; while those in host families received limited assistance’ (RTE 2011 p.36).The findings from the Protection TG lessons learnt exercises also identified that assistance was often provided to those areas where access was easy; in addition, those areas which were declared by NDMA as flood affected in early phase benefited from more assistance as sometime partners would run out of funding/did not have capacity to implement in additional districts. The recommendations where: Timely coordination on area coverage between service provider was also required based on the capacity and specific needs of the community.

4. Coordination within and in-between clusters is required to ‘to ensure a more comprehensive

coverage, clearer prioritisation or rationalised relief efforts’ (RTE 2011 p.38).

5. In addition to the findings of the 2011 RTE, the Protection Cluster identified that IDPs affected by counter insurgency and refugees were forgotten during the flood response, although in some instances they were also affected by floods and thus, even more vulnerable due to their continuous displacement situation.

6. The Protection Cluster has noted that the targeting of beneficiaries is not solely about the

establishment of transparent, independent and needs based beneficiary lists, but is also about ensuring the that access to the assistance is facilitated for all. Concerns around access to assistance have been outlined in the 2011 Protection Cluster report ‘The Watan Scheme for


Flood Relief: Protection Highlights 2010-2011,’ in the Protection Cluster Rapid Protection Assessments carried out after the 2010 floods and in UNIFEM’s Rapid Gender Needs Assessment Report 2010.

7. Finally, the Protection Cluster noted that Relief was also reported anecdotally to be issued to

landlords for further distribution to their tenants and there were reports that landlords were exploiting tenants and charging for relief aid or withholding relief.


Annex IV. Protection Mainstreaming in Food Security

Protection Thematic Working Group

Key protection concerns 1. Equitable access 2. Safety and Security 3. Advocacy and Programming

1. Equitable Access

Ensure that vulnerable people, including widows, female-headed household, child-headed households, people with disabilities, older persons and people with special needs have equal access to food aid. Plan additional measures to reach vulnerable persons including person with disabilities and older persons in their homes or temporary shelters. (See also AGEING AND DISABILITY CHECK LIST FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE for appropriate communication tools for people with disabilities and concrete measures to make sure persons with disability and older persons have access and are included in identification and registration process.)

Avoid discrimination, recognizing the local cultural norms and traditions may discriminate

against particular groups, such as women and ethnic/religious minorities. Food aid planners

have the responsibility to identify discrimination and ensure that food aid reaches all intended

recipients.

Ensure that workers in food aid and nutrition programs know where and how to refer people in

acute protection needs. Food aid coordinators link up with protection coordination to take an

active role in communication relevant information to the field. (Refer identified cases to the

Protection Thematic Working Group: Child Protection Sub-Group, Gender Based Violence Sub

Group as well as Ageing and Disability Task Force.)

Person with disabilities and older persons may have difficulty to use usual utensils, plan appropriate utensils for them. They may also have specific diet and eating requirements; ensure the proper intake of food for them by extra assistance.

Land: Issues such as right to own land, right to cultivate land, right to income from land

cultivated are some of the issues which are important to monitor for women and vulnerable

groups (landless, persons with disabilities, older persons, youth) to ensure that they have food

security and can access programmes. Refer cases to the Protection Thematic Working

Group/Land, Housing and Property Sub-Group for legal issues, including property inheritance for

women and children. Include child headed households in vulnerable groups.

To ensure those who do not have lands receive assistance for agriculture. Refer cases to the

protection group (Housing, Land and Property Sub-Group) for assistance and special attention.

Water: Issues such as access to water resources, water rights, access to decision-making on

water resources; ability to influence decisions on water resources/structures; water for drinking,

It is important to pay attention to issues of protection - especially ensuring vulnerable groups such as

women, persons with disabilities, older persons, and persons with land issues, and displaced persons

are considered.


usage and cultivation are all necessary and interlinked. These issues need to be considered

when providing assistance to ensure that beneficiaries have proper and equitable access.

Inputs/Technical Support/Training: It is important for vulnerable groups (especially women,

persons with disabilities, older persons, minorities) to have access to quality inputs, technical

support and training, link to productivity, income generation and support to livelihoods.

However, it is needed to ensure that none of the projects encourage child labour. In addition,

access to equal amounts of credit (among various groups) is critical for those cultivating their

land or raising livestock.

2. Safety and Security

Maximize security and protection in the implementation of food aid. Avoid poor planning, inadequate registration procedures and failure to share information, which may create tensions and sometimes result in violence or riots.

No beneficiary selection criteria should be based on religious, political, racial, ethnic or social grouping. (Refer to the “Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Inter-Sectoral Guidelines”, prepared by the Protection Thematic Working Group.)

Take all possible measures to guard against the misuse of food aid and to prevent abuse,

including the trading of food for sex by aid workers or persons in similar positions.

Women, unaccompanied children, person with disabilities and older persons are especially vulnerable to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and require additional protection considerations.

It is important that there are equal wages for all, including vulnerable groups. Women are often

not compensated equally in agricultural labour, or rehabilitation, and the working group should

highlight equal pay for equal work in order to ensure all livelihoods benefit from their labour.

Agricultural workers (men, women and vulnerable groups) should not be exposed to unhealthy

environments such as exposure to pesticides without proper equipment, prolonged hard labour,

etc.

Child Labour

Child labour is any work that is done by children which restricts or damages their physical,

emotional, intellectual, social or spiritual growth as children, and which denies them their right to

fully develop, to play or to go to school. The International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions

define child labourers as:

- All children younger than 12 working in any economic activity

- Children 12 – 14 years old engaged in more than light work, and

- All children engaged in the worst forms of child labour – including in which they are enslaved,

trafficked or exposed to hazards.

- Working at home or on a family farm or family business is not child labour as long as it is not a

danger to the children's health and well-being, and doesn't prevent them going to school and

enjoying childhood activities.


Child labour is a significant social and economic problem in Pakistan and the most affected groups

are children from very poor families, orphans, children with disabilities as well as children caught up

in emergencies. Every effort should be made to ensure agricultural interventions do not encourage

or include child labourers. Child labour concerns should be referred to the Protection Thematic

Working Group or Child Protection Sub Working Group who can also provide further advice.

3. Advocacy and Programming

Vulnerable groups represent an underserved and often are underrepresented in decision-

making. As a result of floods or conflict, they are susceptible to various social, political and

environmental forces. The group should advocate on various levels (including PDMAs) for the

counting, care and registration of their living assets, namely livestock and poultry, with the

ability to access proper space, feed, water and care for them within the displacement contexts

In addition, the group should look at how seed stocks/savings can be safeguarded at Farmer

Server Centers maintaining seed banks to ensure safety nets for small farmers.

A complaints mechanism should be in place for recipients to feed back on concerns.

The Landlord/Tenant Question

Feudalism is a source of enormous inequalities, particularly in rural Sindh. The socio-cultural and

political complexity of the issue prevents any humanitarian player to even remotely try to “resolve” it.

While it is responsibility of the Government and development practitioners to find the best way to

harness an opportunity for a positive change over a disaster. It is therefore outside the framework of

these priorities, some elements can be taken into account in the designing of programme assistance. In

these lines, the 2010 floods, so tragic for millions of people, can be seen as an opportunity for a positive

change, albeit minuscule or for only a handful of individuals.

There are thousands of examples of landlord/tenant problems, some “new”, some simply exacerbated

by the floods. Changes in land preparation requirement, demarcation of new boundaries, possession of

pre-flood contested areas, and repayment of loans are all issues where negotiations are needed, as the

strong party is likely to take advantage. If deemed appropriate, mechanisms could be put in place for the

expression of grievances, involving stakeholders (including landlords, tenants and local authorities).

For tenants under a crop-sharing agreement (e.g. farmers receive seed and fertiliser from their landlord,

and share 50% of the harvest [cost of inputs deducted]), programmes might consider that beneficiaries

will have to return half of their harvest to their landlords. In this case, the landlord would “ripe” half of

the impact of the assistance. Some donors might have some objections to that, as concerns are also on

the cost-efficiency and impact of assistance. In this and similar cases, a programme that supports the

farmers retain the entire value of the programme is envisaged. For instance, the assistance could be in

form of tractor/hours to level and prepare the land, a cost that the tenant would have to incur.


Annex V. Historical Floods per Province/District

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Mu

zaff

arab

ad

Mir

pu

r

Nee

lum

Kec

h

Jaff

arab

ad

Nas

eera

bad

Jhal

Mag

si

Bo

lan

Kill

a Sa

ifu

llah

Qu

etta

Sib

bi

Gw

adar

Kh

uzd

ar

Freq

uen

cy o

f Fl

oo

d

Districts

Number of floods per district in Baluchistan

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Pe

shaw

ar

Ch

arsa

dd

a

Swat

Man

seh

ra

Ko

his

tan

Shan

gla

Tan

k

D.I

. Kh

an

No

wsh

era

Low

er

Dir

Up

pe

r D

ir

Freq

uec

ny

of

Flo

od

Districts

Number of floods per district in khyberpakhtunkhwa


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Lah

ore

Sah

iwal

Kas

oo

r

Mu

ltan

Mu

zaff

arga

…

D.G

Kh

an

Sial

kot

Gu

jrat

Jhan

g

Ch

inio

t

Gu

jran

wal

a

Jeh

lum

Nar

ow

al

Raj

anp

ur

Mia

nw

ali

Rah

imya

r …

Layy

ah

Bh

akka

r

Freq

uen

cy o

f Fl

oo

d

Districts

Number of floods per district in Punjab

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Sukk

ar

Kh

airp

ur

Lark

ana

Jaco

bab

ad

Hd

yera

bad

Bad

in

That

ta

Dad

u

Thar

par

kar

Shik

arp

ur

Qam

bar

Sh

adad

Ko

t

Kas

hm

ore

Jam

sho

ro

Gh

otk

i

Mat

iari

Mir

pu

r K

has

Nau

she

ro F

ero

ze

San

ghar

Shah

ee

d B

en

azir

abad

T. M

. Kh

an

Tan

do

Alla

h Y

ar

Um

erk

ot

Freq

uen

cy o

f Fl

oo

d

Districts

Number of floods per district in Sindh


Annex-VI: Historical floods (Maps)


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Food Security Cluster Pakistan - humanitarianresponse.info · Acknowledgement: This document has been developed jointly by the Food Security Cluster members (International and National

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