May 23, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 24, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, May 22: The Erra-UN Early Recovery Plan was presented to the bilateral and multi-lateral donors here on Monday. The programme was successfully launched in New York and Geneva on May 16 and 17.

The plan will spearhead the donors to commit the pledged money into concrete project proposals that form part of the early recovery plan.

Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, who presided over the meeting, said it was an important one-year transition programme for earthquake affected people covering issues from relief to reconstruction.

She said it was mainly aimed at helping vulnerable groups and individuals in eight sectors — health, livelihoods, water and sanitation, housing, shelter and camp management, support to needs of vulnerable groups, governance and disaster risk reduction, common services and coordination and implementing arrangements.

Replying to a question, she said out of $6.6 billion pledged by the donors, $4 billion dollars were loans and $2.6 billion grants.

She said out of $2.6 billion grants, $1.2 billion had already been received in cash and kind. As the projects are prepared, the rest of the amount will be received. She said $2.8 billion loans, out of $4 billion, had already been negotiated.

United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Jan Vandemoortele said over $100 million of funds for the early recovery plan had been secured.

The plan offers concrete proposals to channel about $190 million worth of pledges.

He said the UN planned to set up 150 prefabricated basic health units and over 32 schools this year alone. Provision of seeds, farming tools and livestock will be one of the priorities for restoring livelihoods, especially of females, in the affected areas.

He said the UN would have a lighter footprint and scale down its presence in the affected areas in the recovery phase. “It would not be a brick and mortar business but the emphasis will be on training and capacity building of the human resource of the local governments in the affected areas,” he remarked.

Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority Director-General Brig Waqar Iqbal Raja said Erra was determined to transform this calamity into an opportunity.

It is advocating an owner driven policy for the reconstruction of houses. Six hundred thousand housing units are being planned at a cost of almost $3,000 for each unit. The idea is to have this minimum amount available for the most needy and vulnerable people.

He said about 200,000 internally displaced persons had returned from a total of 300,000 rendered homeless in the aftermath of the October 8 earthquake. He said community based reintegration is part of the early recovery plan.