Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Ottawa — The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of International Cooperation, today announced that Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), will allocate an additional $20 million to assist the recovery efforts of the people of Pakistan affected by the October 2005 earthquake. The funding will be distributed through three organizations: UNICEF to restore basic services for children; UN Habitat for shelter reconstruction; and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for agricultural sector support and recovery.
"Our partners working in these regions have proven their ability and commitment to deliver assistance under very difficult conditions," said Minister Verner. "We will continue to support their efforts, as Pakistan moves from emergency relief towards recovery."
Today's funding is allocated as follows:
$10.5 million to UNICEF to set-up temporary services in the areas of primary education, child protection, family reunification, care/counselling, and safe recreation, thereby providing basic services for children and ensuring that normalcy is returned to their lives;
$7 million to UN Habitat to ensure that housing reconstruction incorporates earthquake resistant techniques. The project will provide technical assistance and training to the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority, the Government of Pakistan's agency that oversees all reconstruction activities in the affected regions. UN Habitiat will support activities related to the reconstruction of about 400,000 homes;
$2.5 million to the FAO to help farmers procure feed for livestock, seed and fertilizers, as well as to support to land preparation activities to be ready for the coming planting season. The project will enable farmers to reduce their dependency on food aid and to resume their normal activities as quickly as possible.
CIDA was quick to support the relief and recovery efforts undertaken in the area by UN agencies, the Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Government of Canada also established a Matching Fund Program. Canada's support has helped the thousands of people affected by the South Asia earthquake, for example:
CARE distributed 4,000 tents and household essentials to some 28,000 people;
Oxfam provided health and hygiene kits to an estimated 50,000 victims;
Save the Children Canada distributed food to some 187,000 earthquake survivors and sent more than 75 truckloads of relief supplies, including 3,500 tents, nearly 11,000 blankets and about 2,200 family food packages to areas hardest hit by the earthquake.
To date, Canada's response to the South Asian earthquake is estimated at more than $77 million, including the cost of deploying the Department of National Defence's Disaster Assistance Response Team.
For more information, please visit CIDA's website.
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Information:
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: (819) 953-6534
E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca
