ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: Oxfam International has urged the United Nations and international donors to scale up their relief operations in Pakistan to provide immediate assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable survivors. Jane Cocking, Oxfam’s humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan, said that Oxfam had called for a coordinated response to ensure that the needs of the survivors were met.

“Only then can the disaster turn from hopelessness and devastation into a chance to rebuild.”

He said: “If lives are to be saved, relief operations must be scaled up dramatically. The international community needs to fulfil its obligations in relief and reconstruction phase.”

“Donor countries need to provide a fair share of emergency relief required. The UN must be properly funded to scale up its operation in the earthquake-hit area and provide personnel and material,” he added.

Mr Cocking said: “The decisions made at the donors’ conference could lift hundreds and thousands of people, many of whom, before the earthquake, lacked access to even basic care and education.

We must ensure that the conference wasn’t just another talking shop, but was an opportunity for lasting change.”

He said that monitoring by civil society and open discussion about successes and challenges in the quake response would help the government of Pakistan and the international community to revise and improve delivery mechanisms, and to ensure effective implementation of the reconstruction plan.