Polio this week as of 13 September 2016

• The regional polio outbreak response in Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin continues, within the broader humanitarian emergency response. Polio teams on the ground, at national, regional and global levels are closely coordinating with the humanitarian emergency response teams, other UN organizations and NGOs, to maximise the impact of all available resources and ensure that polio vaccine and broader health interventions can reach the most vulnerable and at-need populations in the region.

• While much attention is given to the response, the risks of undetected circulation in the rest of Africa cannot be ignored. Efforts to strengthen subnational surveillance and immunity must continue across wide areas of west and central Africa, as well as in countries of the Horn of Africa. More

Le HCR, l’Agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés, a publié aujourd’hui un rapport montrant que plus de la moitié - 3,7 millions - des six millions d’enfants en âge d’être scolarisés et relevant de sa compétence ne vont pas à l’école.

Quelque 1,75 million d’enfants réfugiés ne vont pas à l’école primaire et 1,95 million d’adolescents réfugiés ne sont pas scolarisés dans l’enseignement secondaire. Les réfugiés sont cinq fois plus susceptibles d’être déscolarisés que la moyenne mondiale.

« Cela représente une crise pour des millions d’enfants réfugiés », a déclaré Filippo Grandi, Haut Commissaire des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés. « L’éducation des réfugiés est particulièrement négligée, alors que c’est l’une des rares occasions que nous avons pour transformer, construire la prochaine génération et améliorer le sort des dizaines de millions de personnes déracinées dans le monde. »

Le rapport compare les statistiques du HCR concernant l’éducation des réfugiés avec les chiffres compilés par l’UNESCO sur l’inscription globale de l’école. Seulement 50 pour cent des enfants réfugiés ont accès à l’enseignement primaire, par rapport à une moyenne mondiale de plus de 90 pour cent. Et, quand ces enfants grandissent, l’écart devient un gouffre : seulement 22 pour cent des adolescents réfugiés fréquentent l’école secondaire par rapport à une moyenne mondiale de 84 pour cent. Au niveau de l’enseignement supérieur, seulement un pour cent des réfugiés fréquentent l’université, par rapport à une moyenne mondiale de 34 pour cent.

Le rapport est publié juste avant la rencontre des dirigeants mondiaux prévue pour les 19 et 20 septembre prochains lors du Sommet de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés et les migrants ainsi que du Sommet des dirigeants sur la crise mondiale des réfugiés, organisé par le Président des États-Unis d’Amérique. Lors de ces deux sommets, le HCR appelle les gouvernements, les donateurs, les agences humanitaires et les partenaires de développement ainsi que des partenaires du secteur privé à renforcer leur engagement pour que chaque enfant reçoive une éducation de qualité. Le fondement de ces discussions sera l’Objectif de développement durable numéro quatre, « Assurer l’accès de tous à une éducation de qualité, sur un pied d’égalité, et promouvoir les possibilités d’apprentissage tout au long de la vie », un objectif qui ne sera pas atteint en 2030 si les besoins des populations vulnérables en matière d’éducation - y compris les réfugiés et autres personnes déracinées - ne sont pas satisfaits.

« Alors que la communauté internationale examine la meilleure façon de faire face à la crise des réfugiés, il est essentiel que nous pensions au-delà de la survie de base », a déclaré Filippo Grandi. « L’éducation permet aux réfugiés de façonner positivement l’avenir de leur pays d’asile ainsi que celui de leur pays d’origine quand ils y seront de retour. »

Bien que le rapport souligne les progrès accomplis pour l’inscription d’un nombre accru de réfugiés à l’école par les gouvernements, le HCR et les partenaires, les efforts doivent continuer. Alors que la population mondiale des réfugiés en âge d’être scolarisés était relativement stable à 3,5 millions au cours des dix premières années du 21ème siècle, elle a augmenté en moyenne de 600 000 enfants et adolescents chaque année depuis 2011. Pour la seule année 2014, la population réfugiée en âge d’être scolarisée a augmenté de 30 pour cent. A ce rythme de croissance, le HCR estime qu’au moins 12 000 salles de classe et 20 000 enseignants supplémentaires en moyenne sont nécessaires sur une base annuelle.

Les réfugiés vivent souvent dans des régions où les gouvernements ont déjà du mal à éduquer leurs propres enfants. Ils sont confrontés à la tâche supplémentaire de trouver des bâtiments scolaires, des enseignants formés et du matériel d’apprentissage pour des dizaines, voire des centaines de milliers de nouveaux arrivants qui, souvent, ne parlent pas la langue d’enseignement et ont manqué trois à quatre années de scolarité. Plus de la moitié des enfants et adolescents réfugiés à travers le monde se trouvent seulement dans sept pays: le Tchad, la République démocratique du Congo, l’Ethiopie, le Kenya, le Liban, le Pakistan et la Turquie.

Concernant la Syrie, le rapport montre comment le conflit peut inverser des tendances positives en matière d’éducation. En 2009, 94 pour cent des enfants syriens étaient inscrits à l’école primaire et dans l’enseignement secondaire. Par contre, en juin 2016, seulement 60 pour cent des enfants allaient à l’école en Syrie, laissant 2,1 millions d’enfants et adolescents sans accès à l’éducation dans ce pays. Dans les pays voisins, plus de 4,8 millions de réfugiés syriens sont enregistrés auprès du HCR avec, parmi eux, environ 35 pour cent d’enfants en âge d’être scolarisés. En Turquie, seulement 39 pour cent des enfants et des adolescents réfugiés en âge d’être scolarisés étaient inscrits dans l’enseignement primaire et secondaire, ainsi que 40 pour cent au Liban et 70 pour cent en Jordanie. Cela signifie que près de 900 000 enfants et adolescents réfugiés syriens en âge d’être scolarisés ne vont pas à l’école.

En février, lors de la conférence de Londres pour aider le peuple syrien et le pays hôtes de la région, les pays donateurs avaient promis des contributions pour un programme visant à atteindre 1,7 million d’enfants et de jeunes déscolarisés – réfugiés syriens ou membres des communautés hôtes affectées - au Liban, en Jordanie, en Egypte, en Iraq et en Turquie, ainsi que 2,1 millions d’enfants déscolarisés à l’intérieur de la Syrie. Au début de la nouvelle année scolaire en septembre, le travail effectué par les gouvernements des pays hôtes est impressionnant. La Jordanie et le Liban renforcent leur système de classes alternées dans les écoles ; 90 pour cent des enfants réfugiés syriens sont inscrits à l’école en Egypte et la Turquie redouble d’efforts pour encourager l’inscription à l’école. Toutefois, le financement promis lors de cette conférence n’est toujours pas pleinement engagé, ce qui met en péril certains de ces progrès.

« Les progrès réalisés en Egypte, en Jordanie, au Liban et en Turquie soulignent le potentiel généré par l’amélioration des perspectives d’éducation des réfugiés, toutefois seulement avec le financement de la communauté internationale », a déclaré Filippo Grandi. « L’Iran et le Tchad sont de bons exemples en termes de politiques menées par les gouvernements et visant à encourager activement l’inscription des enfants réfugiés dans les écoles locales. »

Le rapport examine également certaines des situations de réfugiés parmi les plus anciennes qui reçoivent moins d’attention. Au camp de réfugiés de Kakuma dans le nord du Kenya, le rapport présente le parcours remarquable d’une jeune fille sud-soudanaise, Esther, qui a rattrapé plusieurs années d’éducation manquées pour atteindre la dernière année d’enseignement secondaire. Seulement trois pour cent des enfants au camp de Kakuma sont inscrits à l’école secondaire, et moins d’un pour cent d’entre eux rentre à l’université.

Le rapport appelle les gouvernements à donner la priorité à l’inclusion des enfants réfugiés dans les systèmes nationaux et les plans sectoriels pluriannuels pour l’éducation. Au Tchad, une transition récente de toutes les écoles du système national a concerné à la fois les réfugiés et les enfants des communautés hôtes. Cependant, la pénurie de financement se traduit par des classes surpeuplées et manquant de ressources.

Compte tenu du fait que la durée moyenne de déplacement d’un réfugié dans une situation prolongée se situe actuellement à 20 ans, le rapport appelle les donateurs à faire la transition depuis un programme d’aide d’urgence vers un financement prévisible sur plusieurs années qui permet une planification durable, une programmation de qualité et un suivi efficace de l’éducation pour les enfants et les adolescents, qu’ils soient réfugiés ou membres des communautés locales.

Le rapport se termine par le parcours inspirant de Nawa, une réfugiée somalienne qui a commencé son éducation seulement à l’âge de 16 ans dans un centre d’apprentissage communautaire en Malaisie. Quatre ans plus tard, elle suit une formation de base pour entrer à l’université tout en travaillant dans son école en tant que professeur bénévole.

« L’histoire de Nawa prouve qu’il n’est jamais trop tard pour investir dans l’éducation des réfugiés. Investir dans l’éducation d’un seul réfugié signifie déjà des bénéfices pour la collectivité tout entière », a déclaré Filippo Grandi.

Pour des photos, vidéos, infographies, animations graphiques et les contacts pour les médias, veuillez svp consulter la page média (en anglais).

By Ashfaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR: With a high likelihood of becoming polio-free next year, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing the challenge of how to counter militant attacks on vaccinators on its soil.

The militants had killed union council polio eradication committee head Dr Zakaullah Khan in Peshawar last week to send a message across that they’re around and thus, terrifying vaccinators to stay away from administering oral polio vaccine against which they spread false propaganda for years.

Pakistan along with Afghanistan, the last two polio-endemic countries in the world, is facing militants, who first forcibly stopped vaccination in Swat in 2007 and then in North and South Waziristan agencies in 2012 and thus, leaving at least 160 children crippled.

Swat recorded the most nationwide polio cases in 2009 due to the ban imposed by the outlawed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Taliban chief, Maulvi Fazalullah, who then held sway in the region.

Official fears any laxity will reverse gains against crippling disease

Waziristan suffered immensely when 150,000 children remained unimmunised for two years. The situation improved when the army began action. Swat hasn’t recorded any polio case for five years now, while the number of such cases in Waziristan has dropped to two.

The authorities in Federally Administered Tribal Areas argue that both children got infected in Afghanistan where they had migrated due to the military campaign against Taliban militants.

The areas across the border, where they stayed, are under the influence of militants loyal to Fazalullah, a known opponent of OPV.

Officials associated with the anti-polio campaign in the province believe they cannot afford to abandon the efforts and lose the gains they have obtained in the prolonged fight against polio.

“The province is in eradication stage and any laxity could put its two-decade efforts in reverse gear,” an official told Dawn.

He said Dr Zakaullah stood stood undeterred despite killing and injuring of his several anti-polio colleagues in targeted militant attacks.

The official said the association of the deceased with anti-polio campaign had been exemplary for his colleagues, who remembered him a true worker.

Another official said despite meagre wages, vaccinators had played instrumental part in containing the crippling disease in KP and Fata, where the Taliban assassinated their colleagues.

He said a proposal was under consideration lately to give vaccinators more money but that didn’t get approval.

According to him, the militants have killed 41 anti-polio workers and injured 40, including women, and policemen deployed to protect door-to-door vaccination campaign but the efforts have not been halted.

Only last month, water sample collected in the city for polio examination tested negative, indicating that high quality vaccination campaign has taken place due to which the virus didn’t exist and the children were safe.

However, the massive migration of children from Afghanistan and tribal areas have brought the provincial capital to spotlight prompting the World Health Organisation to declare it one of three core polio reservoirs in Pakistan.

The official said as a result of the army’s operation, militants had been targeting vaccinators not only in Peshawar but also in Charsadda, Swabi and Mardan to block the global polio eradication campaigns.

“The province, which deploys 32,000 workers in each of the monthly vaccination campaigns to immunise around 5.4 million children in close coordination with the police and security agencies to vaccinate all children under five years of age and do away with the disease by next year in line with the prime minister polio plan 2016-17,” he said.

The official said in Fata and Frontier regions, around one million children were vaccinated, while the children accessibility rate was more than 99 per cent.

He said the authorities in KP and Fata banked on the support of security personnel to eradicate polio from the region for good.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2016

Abnormal dryness within East Africa and elevated river levels along the Niger River in Nigeria

Africa Weather Hazards

1. A prolonged period of heavy rainfall has triggered flooding and inundation along the Niger River in Nigeria and Niger. As the river slowly drains, stream flow should remain high through early September.

2. Low and poorly distributed seasonal rainfall across parts of central Senegal have led to strengthening moisture deficits.

3. Below-average seasonal rainfall and persistent moisture deficits in the region have negatively impacted developing crops across parts of the eastern Oromia and SNNP provinces of Ethiopia. Similar conditions have also begun to negatively impact ground conditions in many parts of Uganda,
   South Sudan, and eastern DRC.

4. There is a potential for increased number of locusts migrating from the Arabian Peninsula which may negatively impact cropping activities.

HIGHLIGHTS AND STATISTICS

• The number of new refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in Serbia, encountered by UNHCR and partners, continued to rise, now to around. 4,900. 87% (4,273) of them were accommodated in governmental facilities, including 1,666 in the five Asylum Centres and 2,607 in Refugee Aid Points/Reception Centre. The rest were counted at the border with Hungary and in Belgrade city.

• The number of asylum seekers camping in the open on Serbian soil waiting to be admitted into Hungarian “transit zones” remained at a fraction of that in previous months, at just over 200. At the same time, asylum seekers now arrive to the border sites from other facilities a few days before their admission to Hungary date.

• Refugees and asylum seekers throughout Serbia celebrated Eid al-Adha. Amongst many celebrations supported by authorities and UNHCR, the Islamic Community of Presevo provided lamb for lunch to all residents of the Presevo Reception Centre while residents of Krnjaca Asylum Centre were allowed to slaughter and roast a sheep.

• The UNHCR team in Serbia would like to wholeheartedly congratulate Refugee Aid Miksaliste and the Divac Foundation for having been bestowed the European Citizenship Award 2016 for their Campaign of the Year to aid refugees in Serbia at a ceremony in London on 13 September.

• 54 persons expressed their intent to seek asylum in Serbia over the last three days, bringing the total for September to 486 and the whole year to 8,557.

This mapping will be regularly updated :

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5.Examples of how accountability to affected population is integrated into key global reports ?

6.Key initiatives and standards related to Accountability to Affected Populations ?

7.Specific guidance on how to integrate Accountability to Affected Population in the Humanitarian Program Cycle?

8.E-learning, online videos and mobile applications on Accountability to affected population ?

9.Examples of donors commitments to support Accountability to Affected Populations ?

Peshawar, Pakistan | AFP | Friday 9/16/2016 - 19:41 GMT

A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens more as they attended Friday prayers at a mosque in a northwestern Pakistani tribal area, officials said.

The bombing took place in the village of Butmaina in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

"At least 28 people have been killed and 30 others wounded," deputy chief of the Mohmand tribal district administration Naveed Akbar told AFP.

The bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall, he said.

The victims include four children, aged 10 or younger, who were killed in the attack, he said, adding that a curfew has been imposed in the area.

Another local government official confirmed the information.

Shireen Zada, a resident who had prayed at another mosque nearby, said he heard the blast as he was walking home.

"I rushed to the spot and when I went inside the hall there was blood and human remains everywhere and people crying out," he told AFP.

"I brought my pick-up truck, loaded three wounded and drove them to the hospital in Khar," he said, referring to the nearest town.

-- 'Cowardly attack' --

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing, saying the government would remain steadfast in their fight against extremists.

"The cowardly attacks by terrorists cannot shatter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country," read a statement from Sharif's office.

Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members and arrests of others by a local vigilante force in 2009.

Since 2007 the government has encouraged vigilante forces comprising tribesmen -- locally known as peace committees -- to defend their villages against the Taliban.

"Today our suicide bomber has attacked the so-called peace lashkar (vigilante force) in Mohmand agency's Anbar district," the group's spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email to reporters.

"We warn all the lashkar members of Anbar and supporters of military to quit opposition to Islam and Jihad and refrain from enmity with Mujahedin (holy warriors) otherwise our war is being extended," Ehsan said.

On September 2, at least 14 people were killed and more than 50 wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a court in the Pakistani city of Mardan in an assault targeting Pakistan's legal community that was claimed by the JuA.

The group has also said it was behind an attack on lawyers in southwest Quetta, which killed 73 people on August 8, as well as the Lahore Easter bombing that killed 75 in Pakistan's deadliest attack this year.

Pakistan's deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when Taliban militants stormed a school killing more than 150 people, mostly children.

The army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.

As a result security in the country has since improved. Scattered attacks still take place, but they are fewer and of a lesser intensity than in previous years.

According to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal, 457 civilians and 182 members of the security forces were killed in Pakistan from January 1 to September 11, putting 2016 on course for fewer casualties than 2015.

Last year, the country recorded its lowest number of killings since 2007, when the Pakistani Taliban was formed.

la-mmg/aph

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

A new programme of fortification of everyday foods such as bread and oil is being rolled out in Pakistan in an attempt to tackle chronic and widespread malnutrition.

The food fortification programme, which is backed with $48m (£36m) of funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), will see nutrients added directly to wheat flour, edible oils and ghee at source in mills and factories.

More on the Guardian

Afghanistan - IOM is appealing for USD 21 million to provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable among the 400,000-plus undocumented Afghans likely to return home from Pakistan before the end of 2016.

The funding request forms part of the UN’s Flash Appeal for Afghanistan, totaling USD 150 million. IOM will concentrate on scaling up assistance to almost 140,000 undocumented Afghan returnees. It will provide transport vouchers to get them back to their home areas, and relief kits with essential items such as clothing, soap, household items and cooking sets through the IOM Transit Center located at the Torkham border.

A further 4,800 families (some 33,000 people) in the districts surrounding Jalalabad City (which hosts the highest densities of returnees) will be provided with emergency shelter ahead of the winter, including insulated tents, gas heaters and blankets, as well as mobile phones, so that their whereabouts can be confirmed.

From 01 July to 10 September 2016, a total of 109,704 undocumented Afghans returned or were deported from Pakistan through the Torkham border crossing. Of those, 87 percent were spontaneous returnees and the remainder deportees. Up to June, only 33,000 had crossed.

“This massive spike in numbers has set off alarms bells,” said Laurence Hart, IOM’s Chief of Mission and Special Envoy to Afghanistan. “We know there are many demands on the international donor community, but it is clear that if we cannot provide urgent assistance to what is nearly half a million people, then this could rapidly become a humanitarian crisis as winter closes in.”

As a result of growing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports show that undocumented Afghan returnee families are facing unprecedented levels of harassment and extortion by local authorities in Pakistan. Families are being forced to sell valuable assets such as houses, businesses and livestock for next to nothing. Children are being thrown out of schools, businesses are being shuttered and Afghans are no longer welcome as daily workers.

IOM anticipates that returns will occur in far greater numbers following the just-completed Eid Al Adha celebrations. A November 15 cut-off date imposed by the Pakistani Government will require all undocumented Afghans to have acquired machine readable passports and valid visas for Pakistan. New figures bear out these concerns - almost 6,000 people returned yesterday alone.

For further information please contact Nick Bishop at IOM Afghanistan on +93 79 444 59 48; Email nbishop@iom.int

Executive Summary

Large-scale conflicts are a major challenge for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Since about the middle of the last century, the region has experienced more frequent and severe conflicts than any other part of the world, exacting a devastating human toll. Yet, as conflicts intensify and spread, the region now faces unprecedented challenges. Violent, non-state groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have emerged as significant political and military actors, holding large areas of territory. And a refugee crisis bigger than any since World War II is affecting the MENA region, Europe, and beyond, straining economies and social systems. Given the significant political polarization, economic inequality, and rapid population growth in the region, these conflicts are unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.

Intense conflicts and human displacement have had massive and persistent economic costs

Conflicts in countries such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, in addition to tragic loss of life and physical destruction, have caused deep recessions, driven up inflation, worsened fiscal and financial positions, and damaged institutions. In addition, the harmful effects of the turmoil have spilled over into neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and Turkey, into the broader Middle East and North Africa, and even other regions, notably Europe. To varying degrees, these countries face large numbers of refugees, weak confidence and security, and declining social cohesion that undermines the quality of institutions and their ability to undertake much-needed economic reforms.

How can economic policies mitigate the economic costs of conflicts and large refugee flows?

Recent MENA experience suggests that effective policy focuses on protecting economic institutions, prioritizing budget space to serve basic public needs, and using monetary and exchange rate policies to shore up confidence. But such policies are often difficult to implement, requiring unconventional measures. In Libya and Yemen, for example, central banks have gone to extraordinary lengths to support their economies. Once conflicts subside, successful rebuilding requires well-functioning institutions and robust yet flexible macroeconomic frameworks to absorb capital inflows and maintain debt sustainability. Countries hosting refugees must make difficult decisions about access to labor markets and social programs, as well as measures for their own nationals who often struggle with poverty and unemployment. To help prevent future violence, countries across the region should accelerate inclusive growth reforms aimed at reducing inequality.

External partners, including the IMF, have supported countries’ efforts to contain the fallout.

The top priority has been to scale-up humanitarian aid to meet the immediate needs of the people affected, both in conflict zones and in countries hosting large numbers of refugees, such as Jordan and Lebanon. The second priority is on developmental aid to help rebuild infrastructure, and, more broadly, strengthen economic and social resilience across the MENA region. Efforts to organize a wider and deeper international response recently intensified and have focused on mobilizing additional financing. As much as possible, this additional funding should take the form of grants and concessional loans to avoid overburdening countries unable to sustain the extra debt. The IMF supports these efforts, including with policy advice, sizable financing, and capacity building.

The ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) is a weekly bulletin for epidemiologists and health professionals on active public health threats. This issue covers the period 11-17 September 2016 and includes updates on Zika virus, West Nile fever and MERS.

Peshawar, Pakistan | AFP | Saturday 9/17/2016 - 12:51 GMT

The death toll from a Taliban suicide bomb attack on a mosque in northwest tribal Pakistan rose to 30 on Saturday, officials said.

The Friday attack targeted a mosque in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

"Two more injured people died of their wounds early today raising the death toll to 30," deputy chief of the Mohmand tribal district administration Naveed Akbar told AFP.

The bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall. A curfew has been imposed in the area since the bombing.

Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members and arrests of others by a local vigilante force in 2009.

Since 2007 the government has encouraged vigilante forces comprising tribesmen -- locally known as peace committees -- to defend their villages against the Taliban.

Pakistan's deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when Taliban militants stormed a school killing more than 150 people, mostly children.

The army launched an operation in June 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and so bring an end to the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives since 2004.

Last year, the country recorded its lowest number of killings since 2007, when the Pakistani Taliban was formed.

la-jaf/ceb

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Islamabad, September 16, 2016 - Mayor of Islamabad and Chairman CDA Sheikh Ansar Aziz has directed that dedicated human resource for the upcoming polio campaigns be provided on urgent basis.

The direction was given in a high profile meeting to analyse polio campaign status in Federal capital. The meeting was chaired jointly by Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio and Sheikh Ansar Aziz Mayor Islamabad. The meeting deliberated the challenges faced during the preparedness and conduct of polio campaigns in Islamabad and suggested solutions.

Sheikh Ansar Aziz directed the Human Resource directorate, CDA to ensure that in all future campaigns for Polio eradication, plans for deployment of dedicated staff in the city should be shared with him. He said that any non-compliance will be dealt with strictly. Special mention of Private Educational Institutes Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) was made by Islamabad Mayor to assist the government in convincing the refusal schools during campaigns. Sheikh Ansar Aziz also ensured stern accountability for negligence of duties and lethargic attitude to improve the current state of affairs in the polio program.

In her opening remarks Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq highlighted the sensitivity and vulnerability of the city due to multiple factors including continuous mobile population, connection with Rawalpindi and recent sub optimal polio campaigns in the capital. “It is high time to invoke a sense of urgency among officials of the capital to improve their performance”, stressed Senator Ayesha. She further underscored the importance of vaccinator’s training and better interpersonal communication skills of the vaccinators to improve the interface with the caregivers.

“Realistic workload on vaccinators and improved microplanning is a key to reduce missed children during polio campaigns”, added Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio.

Terming Area in-charges and coordinators as a backbone of the program, Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, National Coordinator, National Emergency Operations Centre also stressed on the proper training and selection of area in-charges and team members for optimal results. Dr. Rana Safdar emphasized on reduction of high turnover rate of polio workers. Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar further apprised the meeting that as per the indicators of National Emergency Action Plan it is mandatory to achieve 95% coverage in each polio campaign to meet the target. “Given the target in the National Emergency Action Plan, Islamabad polio team needs extra effort to reach the optimum performance level”, Dr. Safdar further highlighted.

Deputy Commissioner Islamabad also shared his concerns over lack of staff for polio campaigns and absence of proper monitoring system. Presentations on the polio situation were given by officials of CDA and ICT to share the issues and challenges faced..

The meeting was also attended by IG |Police and officials from Deputy Commissioner’s office, District Health Officer Islamabad, representatives of CDA Health Directorate and development partners.

Peshawar, Pakistan | AFP | Sunday 9/18/2016 - 10:36 GMT

The death toll from a Taliban suicide bomb attack on a mosque in northwest tribal Pakistan has risen to 36, including eight children, officials said Sunday.

The Friday attack targeted a mosque in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting Taliban militants.

"We have now compiled a list of victims of the blast which includes 36 dead and 27 injured. At least eight children below the age of 10 are among the dead," Naveed Akbar, deputy chief of the Mohmand tribal district administration, told AFP.

"Many children were hit in the blast because they were praying in the last rows in the mosque where the bomber struck," Akbar said.

The bomber came in as Friday prayers were in progress and blew himself up in the main hall. A curfew has been imposed in the area since the bombing.

Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out to avenge the deaths of 13 of its members and arrests of others by a local vigilante force in 2009.

Meanwhile three people were killed in the outskirts of Peshawar city on Sunday when four motorbike gunmen sprayed a van with bullets.

JuA also claimed responsibility for this attack, telling journalists in an email they had killed three soldiers. But officials said they were still checking the identity of the deceased.

Since 2007 the government has encouraged vigilante forces comprising tribesmen -- locally known as peace committees -- to defend their villages against the Taliban.

Pakistan's deadliest ever attack occurred in Peshawar in December 2014, when Taliban militants stormed a school killing more than 150 people, mostly children.

The army launched an operation in June 2014 to wipe out militant bases in the northwestern tribal areas and end the bloody insurgency that has cost thousands of civilian lives.

Last year, the country recorded its lowest number of killings since 2007, when the Pakistani Taliban was formed.

la-ks/rb

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

ABOUT

• MHub is undertaking field surveys with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers along key migratory routes to build up a body of data over time and to map country and regional level mixed migration trends.
  
• This snapshot presents early survey findings of the profiles, intentions and experiences of those moving in mixed migration flows who have recently arrived in Italy in the last year.
  
• Though these findings cannot be considered statistically representative of the migration population, they do provide key insights into the migration process.
  

KEY FINDINGS

These findings are based on 211 interviews conducted between 3 March and 25 August in reception and transit centres in Turin, Asti, Milan, Bologna, Modena, Rome, Palermo, Trapani and Castellammare del Golfo.

ABUSES AND RISKS

• 68% of respondents reported witnessing the death of another during the course of their journey, the majority in Libya (42% of occurrences), followed by the Sahara Desert (38%) and the Mediterranean Sea (16%). The remaining 4% took place in other transit countries.
  
• 98.5% of respondents said that they would not encourage others to embark on the journey from Sub-Saharan Africa to Italy. Based on interviews, the most recurrent word associated with the journey is ‘death’, while the most common adjectives used are ‘deadly’, ‘horrible’, ‘painful’, ‘terrible’, ‘stressful’, ‘inhuman’, ‘unreasonable’, and ‘dangerous’.
  
• 48% of the respondents reported having experienced or witnessed human trafficking, 80% occurring in Libya. Those responsible are smugglers (41% - starts as smuggling and turns into a situation of trafficking), organized criminal groups or local bandits (30%), alleged “friends”, employers and other people facilitating the migrant journey (22%), local police (3%), rebel groups (2%) and not specified (2%).
  
• 95% of respondents suffered or witnessed some kind of abuse during his/her migration journey.
  
• With the exclusion of respondents that arrived by plane, 86% reported having suffered or witnessed physical abuse or torture, followed by detention (71%), robbery (61%), forced labour (55%), sexual abuse (50%), and destruction of documents (32%).
  

ROUTES

• Based on survey responses, the most common routes taken to Libya were through Niger (64%), Algeria (13%), and Sudan (12%).
  
• The Niger route was used by those originating from Central and Western Africa. Those who traveled through Algeria were from Mali (40%), and Cameroon (24%), Gambia (2%), Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Senegal (34%). 22% transited through Burkina Faso and/or Mali before arriving in Niger or Algeria.
  
• The average length of the journey through Niger and Libya to Italy was 13 months.
  
• 100% of respondents originating from the Horn of Africa transited through Sudan.
  
• 39% of respondents indicated they had not willingly chosen to cross the Mediterranean – of these, 15% reported having been coerced/forced by local bandits or soldiers and 24% reported being forced by traffickers/smugglers. 49% reported having been taken to the boat by a “friend”, employer, colleague, etc. without being adequately informed about what was going to happen.
  
• Based on respondent accounts, rubber boats can carry anywhere between 15 and 750 people, despite having an average capacity of 180.
  
• 45% of respondents did not directly pay for their boat journeys. 12% did not remember the sum paid for the journey. Amongst those who directly paid for the crossing (43% of respondents), 18% paid between 50 - 450 USD, 40% between 500 - 1000 USD, 30% between 1000 - 2000 USD, and the remaining 12% paid more than 2000 USD.
  
• One in four respondents declared that they had arrived in Libya after being persuaded by an assumed “friend”, sponsored by an alleged future employer, or taken by a trafficker against their will. Those sponsored by a “friend” or future employer were consistently told that Libya was a safe country with plenty of job opportunities. Once in Libya, specifically in Gatron – typically the first city of arrival– or in Benualit or Tripoli, migrants are frequently apprehended by local bandits.
  
• 99% left from Libya. Of these, 72% left from Tripoli and 8% from Zuwara.

Background

North Waziristan Agency (NWA) is the second largest Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Miranshah as its headquarter. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan, Kurram Agency and Hangu District, on the east by FR Bannu and Karak, and, Bannu district; on the south by South Waziristan Agency. NWA borders Afghanistan’s Paktika and Khost provinces. Chief tribes in NWA are the Utmanzai Wazirs and Dawars, while Gurbaz, Kharsins, Saidgis and Malakshi Mahsuds are among the small tribes. Subsequent to the launching of military Operation Zarb e Azb by the Pakistan Armed Forces on 15 June 2014, the entire Agency was notified as conflict zone and the inhabitants of NWA moved to the neighboring districts of Bannu, Lakki Marwat, D I Khan, etc. In addition a sizeable population moved to the adjacent provinces of Afghanistan. According UNHCR’s IDPs factsheet (16 March 2015), a total of 102,424 families have been verified by NADRA and registered as IDPs. After the conclusion of the aforementioned military operation, the authorities announced de-notification and the return process initiated on 31 March 2016. Till 30 August 2016 approximately 53,000 families have returned.

The decision was announced during the Return Task Force Meeting on 16 August 2016. The authorities planned to facilitate return of approximately 6,900 families to 69 villages in 4 tehsils of NWA (Mir Ali, Miranshah, Ghulam Khan and Datta Khel).

Inter-Cluster Assessment Mission

An Inter-Cluster Assessment Mission was initiated on 26-28 August 2016 to assess the viability for returns to the newly de-notified areas of NWA.

The objective of the mission was to gather relevant information that would assist humanitarian actors in making informed decision regarding suitability of returns under the prevailing conditions. The mission also aimed to identify critical needs/requirements of returnees in the return areas.
The mission held meetings with the political administration, military and male and female community members.

However, they could not meet the respective line departments due to their unavailability and faced access constraint to some villages. The team managed to observe only 14 villages of Mirali, Miranshah, Ghulam Khan and Datta Khel tehsil from the roadside. Overall, the security situation was perceived to be good as the recently denotified areas was under the military control.

Key Findings

Meetings with the government officials indicated the need for humanitarian support during the interim period to ensure sustainability of the return process and proper linkages with Government-led development activities and plans. Rehabilitation work was underway in the existing WASH, education and health facilities. The team noted that the returnees could face several challenges such as lack of adequate drinking water, and income generating Completetly damaged Degan Bazar at Datta Khelactivities and time required to prepare and cultivate barren lands. Prior to the displacement, most of the people relied on illegal business across the border, which has now been curtailed by the military.

As witnessed in other parts of FATA, ensuring availability of staff to work in health and education facilities will be a challenge. The low trend of girl’s education was also noted.

The PA Administration informed the mission that shelter damages are higher in Datta Khel tehsil compared to damages in Mirali, Miranshah and Ghulam Khan tehsils where most of the houses are considered to be in habitable condition. In addition, the officials also indicated that rehabilitation and construction of tehsil head quarter hospitals, BHUs, schools, water supply schemes, electricity, and solarization of most tube wells and provision of water collection points for drinking and household purposes were being undertaken. Main access roads across the de-notified parts (except at Datta Khel tehsil) are carpeted and open for use. Level 3 (demining) for most of the visited newly de-notified villages was in-progress, which limited the team’s movement to the villages. The military was providing water through tankering in areas where solar pumps had not been installed.

Recommendations

• Provision of household water storage containers including small water tanks, buckets and jerry cans

• Rehabilitation of basic WASH facilities in schools/health centers

• Establish temporary learning centers

• Repair and renovation of schools and health facilities

• Provision of livelihood support such as agricultural tools/seeds, livestock and poultry inputs to create short term employment through conditional assistance such as food for work and food for training

• Rehabilitation of water/ irrigation channels and link road through cash for work

• Provision of conditional cash grant to returnees for repair of damaged houses

• Establish vocational training centers as a special support for persons with specific needs

• Initiation of community based management of acute malnutrition programme

• Establish mental health rehabilitation centers and provision of counseling services

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Brussels Conference will provide a platform for the government of Afghanistan to set out its vision, development strategy and planned reforms by gathering together up to 70 countries and 30 international organizations and agencies.

• ACF released a report, “Afghanistan: Where Humanitarian Concerns Do Not Match International Action” to point out how the current management of aid in Afghanistan have real consequences on the impact of service delivery.

• ACBAR calls for protection of civilians, whether they live in government, or in opposition held areas. Respect and justice is demanded from all parties in the conflict - from frontline workers and nurses to school teachers’ whose workplaces are raided, bombed, or threatened by armed groups, or government and international forces.

• Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis with an estimated one million people on the move by the end of the year. As a result, the Humanitarian Community in Afghanistan launched a Flash Appeal requesting US$150 million to support the thousands of vulnerable families returning from Pakistan every day.

The Brussels Conference on Afghanistan:

An Overview

The European Union (EU) and the government of Afghanistan will co-host the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on 5 October 2016. The Brussels Conference will provide a platform for the government of Afghanistan to set out its vision, development strategy and planned reforms by gathering together representatives from 70 countries and 30 international organizations and agencies. The Brussels Conference will be an opportunity for the international community to signal sustained political and financial support to Afghan peace, governance and development. This is a pivotal moment for Afghanistan to secure financial commitments for the next 4 to 5 years.

Lille, France | AFP | lundi 19/09/2016 - 17:44 GMT

La "Jungle" de Calais, dans le nord de la France, où affluent des migrants espérant passer en Angleterre, accueille désormais plus de 10.000 personnes, soit presque 1.000 personnes de plus qu'en août, ont affirmé lundi deux associations actives dans le bidonville.

Selon l'association française l'Auberge des Migrants et l'ONG britannique Help Refugees, "le nombre total de personnes est de 10.088. Il était au recensement précédent de 9.106, soit une augmentation de 12% en un mois".

Les comptages faits par ces deux associations sont régulièrement critiqués par les autorités. Le dernier recensement officiel, au 19 août, annonçait la présence de 6.900 migrants.

Le dernier chiffre des associations inclut les migrants dormant sous une tente et ceux hébergés dans des centres d'accueil provisoires, ont précisé les ONG.

Selon leur dernier recensement, réalisé du 10 au 12 septembre, 43% des migrants sont Soudanais, 33% Afghans, 9% Érythréens, 7% Pakistanais, 3,5% Éthiopiens, 1% Irakiens et 1% Syriens.

Ils chiffrent par ailleurs le nombre de mineurs à 1.179 mineurs, contre 865 voici un mois. Parmi eux, figurent 1.022 mineurs isolés, dont le plus jeune a 8 ans.

Les autorités ont annoncé ce mois-ci le démantèlement du camp "le plus rapidement possible", ce qui doit se traduire par la répartition des migrants dans des nouveaux lieux d'hébergement sur l'ensemble du territoire.

La France n'a pas suivi l'an dernier la politique d'accueil massif de réfugiés de l'Allemagne mais Calais, point du continent européen le plus proche du Royaume Uni, attire depuis plusieurs années des milliers de migrants espérant traverser la Manche

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Lille, France | AFP | Monday 9/19/2016 - 20:06 GMT

The squalid migrant camp known as the "Jungle" in France's northern port of Calais has become home to nearly 1,000 more people since August, bringing the total to more than 10,000, two charities working there said Monday.

"The total number of people is 10,088. The previous count was 9,106, making it an increase of 12 percent in a month," according to the French association L'Auberge des Migrants and the British non-governmental organisation Help Refugees.

The latest figures include migrants sleeping in tents and those staying at provisional welcome centres, the charities said.

The figures from the groups working at the Jungle are disputed by French authorities, who according to the last official count on August 19 put the number of migrants at 6,900.

Most of the people in the Jungle are men trying to find a way to cross the Channel and clandestinely enter Britain.

The charities said their count was conducted from September 10 to 12, and included the nationalities of the migrants.

Forty-three percent were Sudanese, 33 percent Afghans, 9.0 percent Eritreans, 7.0 percent Pakistanis, 3.5 percent Ethiopians, and Iraqis and Syrians were at 1.0 percent each.

They counted 1,179 minors, over 300 more than in August, and most of them were unaccompanied minors, with the youngest just eight years old.

French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has pledged to dismantle the Jungle camp in stages and rehouse the inhabitants elsewhere.

The British government meanwhile has announced plans to build a wall in Calais to stop migrants from jumping on lorries heading to Britain.

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Immediate palliative care is a vital response to the world's record numbers of refugees and internally displaced. But any sustainable solution to this global crisis must go further, buttressing international law and ending the wars that drive so many from their homes.

Jonathan Prentice | Director of London Office and Senior Advocacy Adviser | @PrenticeJD

For those millions of people whose lives have been uprooted, whether escaping conflict, unchecked violence, or political repression, next week’s summit meetings in New York on the refugee crisis might as well be taking place in a parallel universe.

The outcome of the UN summit has already been decided, and the commitments made by the world’s governments fall far short of what’s needed to address a crisis of this magnitude. The agreed outcome document does recognise the scale of the challenge and reaffirms the rights of all refugees and migrants, which is itself significant in a time of rising xenophobia and eroding international standards. It also acknowledges that the protection of refugees is a shared global responsibility and commits to working toward a strengthened regime by which to better address this phenomenon.

However, member states have not even been able to agree to resettle a bare minimum of 10 per cent of refugees annually, or indeed to any concrete measures to improve an untenable situation. Most importantly, the agreement lacks detail on the most vital issues of all: how states will prevent or resolve those conflicts driving mass migration, and how they will reinforce their fraying commitment to uphold international law and standards.

The scale of the disaster is staggering. There are over 65 million forcibly displaced people in the world today, more than ever recorded. Overwhelmingly, this is a problem that affects the global south. Countries from Asia, the Middle East to Africa and Central America are both the primary sources and principal hosts of the displaced. Well over 80 per cent of the world’s refugees are located in the developing world.

Worsening conflicts are mostly to blame for the rise in displacement. The Syrian war alone is responsible for driving some 12 million people from their homes since 2011. But many of the world’s displaced have been stuck in limbo for years, even decades, like most of the 5.2 million Palestinians registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency or some of the 1.6 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Failure to adequately cope with the influx risks further instability, whether because of immense pressures placed on host countries or because of the lost opportunities incurred by those forced to flee, millions of whom are children denied schooling.

Immediate palliative care is vital, but any sustainable solution to the crisis must go further. The outcome document for the UN summit is vague in its commitment to preventing conflict and resolving those currently in progress. Its focus, overwhelmingly, is on how to better manage the situation of people only after they become refugees.

By many counts, the past five years have seen a rise in the frequency and intensity of deadly conflict. The increasing range of interests at play in these conflicts, both domestic and international, the weakening of the world’s security architecture, and rising geopolitical tensions have made resolving this violence much more challenging. Further, a sense of overwhelming crisis, financial pressures, domestic political constraints, and memories of recent failed interventions have, for many actors, encouraged a dangerous narrowing of foreign policy interests.

Globally, the top ten source countries for refugees account for 76 per cent of the total, and constitute in large part a list of those places where war prevails over peace; predatory state behaviour over benign. If past is prologue, this issue is not going to disappear any time soon. The overall problem of violence-triggered flight is longstanding in the cases of nearly all of those countries on the list. Indeed, it’s getting worse. Last year alone, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were 12.4 million newly displaced; the last five years have seen a near 50 per cent increase in this phenomenon.

In this treacherous landscape, world leaders must address squarely the driving cause behind mass migration. And they must start by making better use of the global institutions they created and upholding the international legal framework they built. States must reassert the primacy of international humanitarian and human rights law, including by unequivocally calling out transgressors and mobilising action to halt – and if need be, to prosecute – violations.

The UN system must be made more functional. A Security Council in a state of near paralysis on too many issues will not make the world safer. As its members seek consensus on a new Secretary-General, they would do well to choose for that post an individual with the skills, energy and independence required. The next leader of the UN should be prepared to harness the organisation’s formidable mediation, peacekeeping, humanitarian and development capacities for the better management of conflict. Even if Council members find agreement on key issues elusive, they should at least give the next Secretary-General the space to bring them together.

The failure to get to grips with the fundamentals of the refugee crisis – including in concrete follow-up to the September summit in New York – risks a damning judgment on the many states with the capacity to effect positive change. A continuation of the current strategy of short-term triage more or less guarantees that we will face even more conflict and humanitarian suffering in the future. The human costs are already too high, and they are rising exponentially.