IOM is appealing for USD 16 million in 2010 to contribute to relief
and rehabilitation activities for families displaced by military
operations in northwestern Pakistan.

The IOM appeal is part of a joint UN Flash Appeal also called
Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) 2010.

The IOM appeal includes funding to provide emergency shelter for
returning vulnerable families; reconstruction and development of
essential community infrastructure affected by military operations;
security awareness training for the humanitarian community; mass
communications and disaster risk management programming with local
government.

The PHRP 2010 is seeking USD 537 million to help some 800,000
displaced people this year. It includes 169 projects proposed by 68
national and international NGOs, UN and inter-governmental
agencies, including IOM, to support humanitarian work in the
country.

"Vulnerable families are not getting the support they need to
live in dignity.  We urgently need to help them, the host
families they are currently living with, and their communities of
origin, to create the conditions for their sustainable return
home," says Brian Kelly, Head IOM Pakistan's Emergency and
Stabilization Unit.

IOM programming focuses on supporting vulnerable families with
shelter and other assistance, restoring community infrastructure in
areas of return, and providing common services to the humanitarian
community. 

These include security training for organizations working in the
affected areas, as well mass information campaigns targeting
displaced communities with messages on behalf of local government
and humanitarian organizations.

IOM also plans to set up a Housing Reconstruction Centre (HRC)
to accelerate progress of reconstruction work in Swat District by
providing training, field and coordination support to various
implementing partners.

The new funding will also allow IOM to rehabilitate up to 200
community-level infrastructure schemes in Malakand and FATA, in
line with the government's early recovery and rehabilitation
plan.

To restore public trust in governance systems and institutions
in the conflict-affected districts of Malakand Division, IOM will
also strengthen the disaster response capacity of the district and
provincial disaster management authorities with active
participation of communities.

For further details, please contact:

Saleem Rehmat

IOM Islamabad

Tel. +92-300-856-0341

E-mail: "mailto:srehmat@iom.int">srehmat@iom.int