Brussels, 02/08/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to send €30 million euros-worth of emergency humanitarian aid to help vulnerable people in Pakistan such as the internally-displaced (fleeing from conflict), returning refugees and host families.
The decision was announced in a press release issued on Saturday 31 July 2010. The money will come from ECHO's budget (the Commission's humanitarian aid department) and was released using the emergency procedure, meaning that cash can be made available within 72 hours. It will fund projects to cover protection, emergency shelter and non-food items (blankets, hygiene kits, cooking sets, etc), internally-displaced persons' camps, primary health care, food aid, clean drinking water and sanitation, security management for humanitarian workers, mine removal, livelihood support and disaster preparedness.
'Pakistan has been hit by terrible floods and more rain is forecast. Our thoughts are with those affected by them.... The security and the humanitarian situation are very volatile in Pakistan.. The most important issue is that humanitarian principles are respected in the delivery of aid. This includes access to the assistance by those who need it most as well as access to the beneficiaries, as our humanitarian aid is purely needs-based,' commented EU International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, stressing the impartial and neutral nature of EU aid.
The aid projects funded by the Commission will be implemented by ECHO's partner humanitarian organisations on the ground (specialised United Nations bodies, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement).
The new tranche of aid takes total EU aid to Pakistan in recent months to €101.25 million to help the victims of the country's various humanitarian crises. (A.N. trans fl)