PRESS CONFERENCE ON ANNIVERSARY OF SOUTH ASIAN EARTHQUAKE BY FORMER UNITED STATES

PRESIDENT BUSH, PAKISTANI MINISTER HINA RABBANI KHAR

 

Expressing frustration over “donor fatigue”, George H.W. Bush, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the South Asia Earthquake, told a Headquarters news conference this afternoon that because of a funding shortfall for immediate emergency relief, many of the 3.5 million victims of Pakistan’s devastating earthquake last year still lacked basic water, sanitation and housing.

Donor countries had yet to deliver $94 million of the $255 million United Nations Early Recovery Plan, Mr. Bush said.  That money was urgently needed to help families in remote, high altitude communities -– particularly elderly persons and children -- survive the coming winter and ensure Pakistan’s transition from post-disaster recovery to long term reconstruction.

Addressing a news conference to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake that claimed the lives of 73,000 people, Mr. Bush said he pleaded with donor countries’ Heads of State to convert promises of future low-interest loans to Pakistan into immediate funds for reconstruction projects but was not fully satisfied with their response.

“I admit we’ve got a long way to go.  I don’t know the exact dollar amount.  But, I’m not happy that we haven’t done a better job on that”, he said.

The former United States President -– whose United Nations mandate will expire in January -- was appointed last December by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to lead the Organization’s Pakistan relief and fundraising drive.

Mr. Bush praised Pakistan’s Government and civil society for successfully carrying out the relief effort thus far and providing life support to thousands of victims during last year’s harsh winter.  Almost 300,000 people had returned home safely after living in tents for 6 months and officials were expanding existing medical, education, water and sanitation projects so that such basic services reached all communities, he said.

Also addressing reporters, Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s State Minister for Economic Affairs and Statistics, said Pakistan’s Federal Relief Commissioner Office, set up to oversee recovery, had invested $1.7 billion in temporary shelter, medical care, food, water, sanitation and other basic services.  All health care facilities in place before the earthquake were now operating and reconstruction would begin this fiscal year of 156 of the 342 facilities destroyed or damaged.  She noted similar progress in education.

However, the more than $2 billion reconstruction of 600,000 destroyed homes remained a major challenge, particularly in Pakistan’s harsh climate and terrain, Ms. Rabbani Khar said.  Pakistani authorities had distributed housing grants of $2,900 per household to 430,000 of the 600,000 families in need.  But $800 million more was needed.

She said the total reconstruction cost of 12 sectors –- including health, education, housing, livelihood, water and sanitation, governance, telecommunications, power, transport, social protection, tourism and the environment -- was an estimated $4.3 billion.

International donors had pledged $6.7 billion, including $2.7 billion in immediate relief of goods and services and $4 billion in loans, she said.  Pakistani officials and relief agencies had already spent $1.7 billion of the $2.7 billion in emergency aid.  Donors had made available $2.7 billion of the $4 billion in loans.

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For information media • not an official record