IOM assures recovery, reconstruction efforts
By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD, Dec 8 (Online): The International Organization for Migration (IOM) remains committed to long-term, sustained and coordinated reconstruction and recovery efforts in earthquake-affected areas in AJK.
In a positive meeting with AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attiq Ahmed Khan in Muzaffarabad, IOM Regional Representative Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa pledged to build an effective coordination system between the two sides for the provision of assistance required for the affected population.
The Prime Minister gave a warm welcome to the IOM delegation, which also comprised heads of IOM sub-offices in Muzaffarabad and Mansehra John Sampson and Arshad Rasheed, and Islamabad-based Media and Public Information Officer Saleem Rehmat, at his office in Muzaffarabad city.
The PM appreciated relief and recovery operations by IOM since October2005 disaster and assured his full support to the organization’s current and future activities to help the affected Kashmiri people.
“Saving the lives of people is our foremost priority and IOM remains committed to the AJK government’s efforts to help the people rebuild their lives following the devastating October 2005 earthquake, said IOM Regional Representative.
“We support building bridges among the communities and reallyappreciate the resilience of the affected people following the earthquake. We are devoted to your government’s efforts to ameliorate people’s living conditions and its long-term development programmes.”
The Prime Minister accepted IOM’s suggestion to appoint a focal personin his office for an effective and efficient coordination with the government for organization’s future programmes in Kashmir.
He was also briefed on IOM’s current projects, rapid response andrubble removal, being carried out with the coordination and support of local governments, Muzaffarabad Municipal Administration, Development Authority, Camp Management Organization and District Health Officials. The meeting underlined the importance of IOM emergency teams active this winter for the provision of rapid assistance to vulnerable communities in remote and high-altitude areas. Both sides also shared their past experiences and future vision for the uplift of earthquake-affected areas.
IOM’s 25-year presence in Pakistan reflects a long-term commitment based on experience, operational excellence and longstanding partnerships.
Following the earthquake, IOM focused on coordinating the IASCEmergency Shelter Cluster - a grouping of some 70 aid agencies working with the Government and the army to provide emergency shelter to survivors before the last winter.
The cluster agencies, the government and the army ultimately delivered a total of some 520,100 tents, 5 million CGI tin roofing sheets, 6.4 million blankets and 2.2 million tarpaulins/plastic sheets to often remote mountain communities.
They also built 549,872 temporary transitional shelters. Under its recovery and rehabilitation programmes, IOM has provided medical screening and transport to help some 76,000 people return home from displacement camps and cleared around 8 million cubic feet of rubble from Muzaffarabad, a city which remained a sea of debris and destroyed buildings following the earthquake.