June 23, 2009

ISLAMABAD – In hopes of improving the effectiveness of aid to people displaced by the crisis in Pakistan, Church World Service is urging the humanitarian community to pay closer attention to internationally established quality standards and practices.

"We fear that continued indifference to principles and levels of quality in delivering aid may lead to more a chaotic situation for the whole region," said Marvin Parvez, Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan country director and regional representative for South Asia.

In a statement issued today about the ongoing humanitarian crisis stemming from fighting between the Pakistan military and Taliban forces that has displaced more than 2 million persons in the last two months, Parvez said Pakistan has been "miraculously dealing with this situation, due to its resilient community structure and national characteristics."

But, Parvez warned, "that cultural resilience is being tried to the max and must be supported by care and services that are responsive and accountable."

CWS is serving in the current Pakistan crisis as a "focal point" for the Humanitarian Accountability Project (HAP) and Sphere Project – two international collaborations chartered to improve the accountability and quality of assistance delivered to people affected by disaster.

As HAP/Sphere focal point, CWS is offering training and support to partners, local non-governmental organizations, and members of the Action by Churches Together alliance which are collaborating in Pakistan.

The trainings specifically aim to enhance the knowledge, skills and capacity of 540 humanitarian relief and development practitioners in improving the quality and accountability of their services.

Geneva-based HAP is a self-regulatory partnership of aid agencies working to assure that humanitarian organizations – often the sole providers of vital resources like food, water and shelter after disasters – are accountable to the people who are supposed to benefit from their services. It currently has 22 full members, including non-governmental organizations like Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan, Oxfam, World Vision, CARE International and others.

"At this point in time there is an increasing need to confront the issues of quality and accountability in relief work here – in a systematic manner and at a national level," Parvez said.

"The scope of the IDP crisis in Pakistan is requiring the need to technically analyze and sort out the issues concerning the services being provided to those displaced and their host communities," Parvez said. "It's imperative that we take up the challenge with conviction and full professional commitment."

‘No token beneficiary participation'

The focus for effective response, says CWS, lies in listening to the people who are being assisted; promoting beneficiaries' participation and ownership; and seeking heightened collaboration among responding agencies rather than competition.

As part of its response, Church World Service has provided beneficiaries with outlets to express their concerns so that the voices of the displaced have been heard by media covering the crisis and its response. Having their voices heard allowed the displaced persons to feel that someone is listening to them even if their problems would not be resolved as a result. CWS has emphasized the importance of beneficiary participation from the beginning of rehabilitation initiatives, including ways for the uprooted to report grievances.

In order to more fully serve those being assisted, CWS P/A is urging that further work needs to be don e in the following areas:

1. The recent security situation has been a limiting factor for aid agencies to move freely in most of conflict zones, but this should not affect the commitment to quality management and accountability to beneficiaries.

Token beneficiary participation and inappropriate communication channels with beneficiaries and other stakeholders need to be replaced with real participation and involvement and hence ownership by the beneficiaries.

2. The existing formal and informal coordination mechanisms among and between various aid agencies require further strengthening both at field and head-office levels. The element of competition should not undermine the collective strength of aid agencies to secure maximum benefit for the displaced.

3. Painfully long lines to receive the food and non-food aid in the camps and in the host communities are an indicator of limited professional capacity and need to be minimized. The scenario indicates an absence or lack of staff that can specifically focus on quality of service delivery. Such appointment of quality and accountability-related staff would lead to the assignment of higher priority to the principles and standards to take care of real needs of the uprooted.

In 2008, Parvez earned the designation "Accountability Ambassador" from HAP, signifying that CWS -Pakistan/Afghanistan complies with HAP standards of humanitarian agency accountability to the communities in which they work.

Church World Service is an international relief and development agency, funded by public donations, grants, and by 35 member denominations in the U.S. It is a member of the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum, a grouping of aid groups that belong to the Action by Churches Together alliance. Contributions to support Church World Service emergency response and recovery efforts may be made online, by phone, (800) 297-1516), or sent to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.

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