'Pakistan pursuing owner-driven policy for reconstruction in quake-affected areas'

UNITED NATIONS—More than $500 million have been distributed amongst the earthquake- affected families in Pakistan to help them start rebuilding their destroyed homes, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has said.
"We're pursuing an 'owner-driven' policy for reconstruction," she told representatives of major donors and international financial institutions at a meeting held to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake that hit Azad Kashmir and NWFP.
Ms. Khar and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, former President George H.W. Bush, addressed the meeting that took place on Friday, according to an official statement issued on Monday. It was organized by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP).
The state minister briefed the meeting about the progress made in relief and rehabilitation activities and shared the Government's vision for reconstruction in the affected areas.
She appreciated the role of the UN system as well as the international community in supporting the efforts of the Government of Pakistan in dealing with the unprecedented national disaster.
Ms. Khar said that the estimated target of building around 600,000 housing units was a gigantic task for which all the institutional preparation had been completed and the Government was committed to assist the local communities in "building back better" in the next three to five years.
Clarifying some of the figures regarding displaced persons reported recently in the media, she stated that 95% of the total affected population from the October 2005 earthquake was now in transitional shelters and only around 30,000 people were still living in tented communities. She assured the international community that these people would be provided best possible resources to withstand the coming winter.
Mr. Bush Senior also thanked the international community for its generous pledges and commitments for the earthquake victims in Pakistan . Remembering the thousands of victims of the last year's earthquake, Mr. Bush paid homage to the victims and expressed sympathy with the survivors. Appreciating the united and strong response of Pakistan to the earthquake, former President Bush strongly underlined and paid tribute to the people of Pakistan for their resilience in facing this massive disaster. He commended in particular the timely response of the Government of Pakistan as well as the civil society groups.
Former President Bush highlighted the role of the Government of Pakistan in saving thousands of lives in the aftermath of the earthquake and in avoiding the most feared second wave of deaths that could have resulted from the freezing winter.
Given the magnitude of the disaster, former President Bush acknowledged that much more needed to be done and urged the donors to translate their pledges into commitments and ensure early disbursement of funds for all the under-funded sectors, particularly to fill the gap of $94 million in the Early Recovery Plan of Action.
Bush Senior, cautioned against forgetting the survivors as reconstructions activities move ahead. "It is important that the international community does not bring its assistance to an end prematurely. Otherwise, the survivors would face more years of misery and despair," he concluded.
AT the meeting several donors, including the Ambassadors of Netherlands, Switzerland, and the representatives of UK and Finland, lauded the role of the Government of Pakistan, and expressed their support and solidarity in the ongoing efforts for reconstruction in the affected areas.—Agencies