Abdul Sattar Edhi of Pakistan and Frantois Houtart of Belgium were awarded the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Madanjeet Singh Prize on the unanimous recommendation of an international jury to UNESCO Director-General Konchiro Matsuura, according to an announcement in Paris.  Read more... (257 words, 1 image, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

It has been reported by Dawn that Displaced people of the Malakand region are selling relief goods to pay for their routine expenses like clothes and medicines. The act has been done by three fourth majority of the Internally displaced persons to fulfill their utter needs other than food. According to the UN estimates, 87 per cent of the internally displaced persons live with host communities in schools, hospitals and houses and, so, were being provided food by their hosts. Therefore, they receive relief goods, but sell the same in local markets to pay for other expenses to local shopkeepers at throwaway prices to purchase medicines.  Read more... (205 words, 1 image, estimated 49 secs reading time)

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The Unicef Pakistan has almost exhausted its contingency funds and stocks of relief goods and has appealed for an additional $41.4 million for providing immediate assistance to people displaced by fighting in parts of the NWFP.

Working in cooperation with the government, United Nations, and the partners, Unicef is providing drinking water, nutrition, health support, education and protection to children and families wherever possible.  Read more... (208 words, 1 image, estimated 50 secs reading time)

Nearly 2.4 million people have registered with provincial authorities after fleeing an anti-Taliban military offensive this month in northwest Pakistan as reported by the UN and government officials

Ariane Rummery, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, said they had been given the figure by the North West Frontier Province authorities and expected the number to fluctuate after cross checks are carried out in the coming days.  Read more... (139 words, 1 image, estimated 33 secs reading time)

BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA) and OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) has published the report called Fact Sheet #7, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 about the current prevailing swat crisis and US assistance for it. The last report was published on 14 May 2009. Both reports show a huge difference in terms of increasing number of refugees registering in the camps. Almost 2 million people had flee from the northern areas of Pakistan and now living in tents.  Read more... (734 words, 0 images, estimated 2:56 mins reading time)

IDPs Camp

Mardan, about 70km northwest of Peshawar, capital of the NWFP, is the first place those fleeing volatile areas like Buner, Swat and Lower Dir come to, and the government has established three camps in the district – Jalala, Sheikh Yasin and Sheikh Shahzad.  Read more... (393 words, 1 image, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

World Health Organization had been requested to carry out mapping of the health facilities in camps set up for internally displaced persons that would give a clear picture about the number of doctors, health workers and non-governmental organizations providing help in different camps.  Read more... (298 words, 1 image, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

IDPs qeue at camp

United Nations team visited Pakistan and alarm the world about the on going crisis by calling it not only the world’s biggest but the worst Humanitarian crisis, with aid workers struggling to reach many of the two million people who have fled fighting.  Read more... (274 words, 1 image, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Ban ki Mon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to all nations to boost efforts to reduce disaster risk, stressing that decisive action taken now can be ‘one of the best investments countries can make.’  Read more... (366 words, 1 image, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)