SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, 13 November 2017 – “The town of Spin Boldak on Afghanistan’s southern border with Pakistan is at the epicentre of the global effort to eradicate polio.

“This year, only Afghanistan and Pakistan have recorded wild poliovirus cases and the virus has no respect for the borders. As of 9 November 2017, there are 14 cases of wild poliovirus globally – nine in Afghanistan and five in Pakistan – the lowest number recorded in history.

“Just this week, Afghanistan’s ninth case of the year, a three-year-old boy, was confirmed in eastern Afghanistan, close to the border with Pakistan, with the virus linked to transmission that had occurred earlier in the year across the border in Peshawar.

“The reality is that you can’t eradicate polio without coordination between health teams in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and a cross-border response in areas such as Spin Boldak.

“Today, I met and saw vaccination teams in action who, day in and out, educate parents on the importance of vaccination and vaccinate children as they cross the border.”

They are making a difference – since January this year, more than 44,000 Afghan children under 10 have been immunized at 19 vaccination posts along the border with Pakistan and Iran.

“UNICEF and partners are committed to end polio and will continue to do whatever we can to stop the virus in its tracks, so that every child in Afghanistan and Pakistan – and the world - can grow up without fear of this entirely preventable deadly and debilitating virus.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children visit www.unicef.org.

Follow UNICEF Afghanistan on Twitter and Facebook

For more information, please contact:

Denise Shepherd-Johnson, UNICEF Afghanistan, Mobile: +93 (0) 730 717110, dshepherdjohnson@unicef.org

Feridoon Aryan, UNICEF Afghanistan, Mobile: +93 (0) 730 717 115, faryan@unicef.org

Undocumented returnees and refugees returning to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries face an increased risk of harm from mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). The current influx of returnees has meant a shift in focus for the Danish Demining Group’s (DDG) Risk Education programme in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has been experiencing a massive influx of returnees, with 620,000 Afghans returning from neighbouring countries in 2016 alone. Primarily from Pakistan, this return is occurring as a result of a deteriorating protection environment. This is taking place despite ongoing armed altercations between government forces and non-state armed groups in Afghanistan, which have led to a rise in the number of casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). According to the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination, the first eight months of 2017 saw a staggering 1,384 civilian casualties. Returnees are relatively more at risk of injury or death than other civilian populations, as they are not familiar with ongoing conflict patterns or safe behaviour. As a result, they require targeted risk education.

DDG’s Risk Education sessions aim to increase awareness of such threats among returnees, with many having spent the majority, if not all, of their lives outside Afghanistan. One woman who attended a risk education session at Torkham, a major border crossing with Pakistan, stated that, “I did not have any knowledge of mines and other ERW before this session, because we have lived in Pakistan for thirty years”.

Similarly, one father emphasised that although his family were returning home, it had been so long that they did not know Afghanistan or understand the threats well anymore. He elaborated on why he therefore wanted his family to attend the risk education session: “I attended because I have not seen any mines or ERW in my life, and I think it will be a big concern for me and my family when we return to our village. Due to ongoing conflicts, mines and ERW are everywhere and unfortunately my family does not have enough knowledge about it”.

DDG has therefore deployed twenty mixed-gender risk education teams to stations along border crossings, at UNHCR Encashment Centres and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Transit Centres, where returnees receive services including registration, vaccination and other forms of humanitarian assistance. These teams provide risk education to returnees immediately upon their arrival, warning them before they move into unknown and potentially contaminated areas.

Since the returnees are on the move, they stay at the UNHCR and IOM facilities for only short amounts of time. This sometimes requires DDG to complete their sessions in less than ten minutes, highlighting the most important safety messages. To meet this need, DDG has established a risk education “walk-through”, where returnees move through visual representations of potential dangers and learn about safe and unsafe behaviour.

The immediate results are clear: surveys taken before and after risk education at the UNHCR Kabul Enchashment Centre showed that the percentage of returnees who could identify mine and ERW markings rose from 15% to 100%.

DDG started its operations in Afghanistan in 1998 and has been an integral part of the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan.

Highlights

• 844 undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan

• 12,319 undocumented Afghans returned from Iran

• 94,107 total returns from Pakistan since 01 Jan 2017

• 380,064 total returns from Iran since 01 Jan 2017

• 85% of returnees from Pakistan (724 individuals) assisted

• 5% of returnees from Iran (589 individuals) assisted

• 153 Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) from Iran among those assisted, 0 from Pakistan

• 42 Medical Cases (MC) from Iran among those assisted, 0 from Pakistan

Return from Pakistan

A total of 844 undocumented Afghans spontaneously returned or were deported from Pakistan through the Turkham (Nangarhar) and Spin Boldak (Kandahar) border crossings from Nov 05-11, according to the Border Monitoring Team of the Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR). Of the total returnees, 822 were spontaneous returnees and 22 were deported.
This number marks a 13% decrease compared to the previous week (968).
The total number of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan since 01 January 2017 is now 94,107. IOM provided post-arrival assistance to 75% of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan (724 individuals), including 552 individuals in poor families and 170 individuals in single parent families.
The assistance provided includes meals, accommodation, basic medical screening, Non-Food Items (NFIs), onward transportation cash grants and referral services, as well as support from partners.

Situation Overview

IOM is responding to a substantial increase in the return of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan and Iran. Since 01 January 2017, over 474,000 undocumented Afghans have returned due to diverse push factors, including deteriorating protection space in Pakistan and Iran. This figure represents a significantly lower rate of return than in previous year. Most of those returning have lived outside of Afghanistan for decades, and will need support from the government and humanitarian actors both on arrival and as they seek to reintegrate. As the rate of return is influenced by a number of political, security and other related factors both in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, another surge in returns could occur at any time. IOM estimates that approximately 500,000 undocumented Afghans could return from Pakistan and Iran in 2017, and is working to scale up its support to returnees in coordination with the Government of Afghanistan and other humanitarian partners.

Current major event

Deaths from Dengue in Pakistan

Pakistan is endemic for Dengue fever (DF) since 1994. The country faced a number of repeated outbreaks in different provinces during last two decades. The recorded peak transmission season of DF virus is during July to October/ November. This year an outbreak was reported from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 69 deaths reported from this outbreak so far.

Pakistan

Humanitarian organisations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are facing increasing access difficulties.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been told by the Pakistani authorities to close its medical activities in Bajaur Agency. The organisation was told to close another project in Kurram Agency, also in FATA, in September. MSF provided healthcare for more than 40,000 patients in the first nine months of 2017.

Read more about Pakistan

Somalia

Food security crisis in Somalia deepens. 2.4 million people are currently in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and 866,000 are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).

Further deterioration of food security until May 2018 as the ongoing Deyr rains are projected to be at least 30% below average and the Deyr cereal production is expected to be below-average. Food insecurity affects IDPs in particular: IDP settlements of Mogadishu, Baidoa, Dhusamareb, and Dolow are in Emergency.

Read more about Somalia

Yemen

Food, fuel and cooking gas prices have increased sharply since the Saudi-led coalition closed Yemen's borders on 6 November. Medical supplies are running critically low and fuel shortage is affecting WASH response to contain ongoing cholera outbreak. Yemen imports more than 85% of its food and medicine.

Saudi-Arabia has agreed to open government-controlled ports in Aden, Mokha and Mukalla, however 80% of imports pass through Hudaydah and Saleef ports, and these remain closed.

Read more about Yemen

Italy’s contribution supports efforts to vaccinate every last child against polio in the only two countries reporting cases of the disease in 2017.

taly has provided EURO 4.5 million to support efforts to reach and vaccinate all children under five years of age in Pakistan and Afghanistan – the only two countries worldwide that have reported polio cases this year.

In Afghanistan, the contribution will be used to support and train vaccinators and social mobilizers in generating demand for vaccination, the delivery of vaccines and monitoring whether vaccination activities are well-implemented. In Pakistan, the contribution will support vaccination campaigns in the most challenging areas of the country, as well as the immunization of communities that are at particularly high risk due to their mobility, through tactics such as giving vaccine established transit points.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have matched Italy’s contribution, doubling its impact to EUR 9 million.

Polio is a highly infectious but entirely preventable disease which remains endemic in only three countries – Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. When the polio eradication effort was launched in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio every year across 125 polio-endemic countries. In 2017, there are 13 cases to date globally – 8 cases in Afghanistan and 5 in Pakistan, with Nigeria not recording any cases for more than 12 months.

This remarkable progress is thanks to the tireless work of committed front line health workers, governments and the five partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: UNICEF, WHO, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Angelino Alfano, underlined Italy’s commitment to a polio-free world for all future generations. “Italy is proud to support this immunization initiative which will not only rid the world of this devastating disease but improve children’s health and bring health returns and productivity gains for communities and countries’ economies,” Minister Alfano said.

UNICEF Director of Polio Eradication Akhil Iyer said that the funding would support efforts to generate community demand for vaccination and deliver vaccines in high-risk polio-endemic areas. “Italy’s contribution is critical in helping us to reach every last child in some of the world’s most challenging contexts, and to help us prove that we can live in a world where no child need be left behind,” Mr Iyer said.

WHO’s Director of Polio Eradication, Michel Zaffran, said new funding such as Italy’s was essential to ensure all children were covered during immunization campaigns. “As we reach the endgame of the polio eradication effort, the vaccination of what we call mobile populations – communities which are migrant or on the move – is essential to ensure all children are protected and the virus cannot spread from one area to another. This funding will directly help us reach and protect those most vulnerable populations,” Mr Zaffran said.

FOR many, climate change conjures up images of forsaken polar bears floating on icebergs made from melting ice caps, or hurricanes in the Caribbean turning island paradises into island hells. But the ones who are most affected worldwide are those with the least resources in fragile environments — including people in places like Pakistan.

For people in Pakistan, perhaps the most immediate and serious impact is on water availability. According to a report by the World Resources Institute, Pakistan is on track to become the most water-stressed country in the region, and 23rd in the world, by the year 2040. No person in Pakistan, whether from the north with its more than 5,000 glaciers, or from the south with its ‘hyper deserts’, will be immune to this.

Pakistan’s economy is the most water-intensive worldwide, according to an IMF report. According to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Pakistan may run dry by 2025 if the present conditions continue. They claim that the country touched the ‘water stress line’ in 1990, and crossed the ‘water scarcity line’ in 2005, more than a decade ago, and that in relation to the scale of the problem relatively little has been done to improve the use or supply of water.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation measures the pressure on national water resources by calculating water withdrawal as a percentage of total renewable water resources (TRWR). Stresses are considered high if the TRWR value is above 25 percent. Pakistan’s water pressure amounts to a staggering 74pc. This level of pressure is high, even when compared with neighbouring countries, such as Iran at 67pc, India at 40pc, Afghanistan at 31pc, and China at 19.5pc.

Pakistan must diversify its water resources.

With new challenges in trans-boundary water talks, understandably much focus is directed towards Pakistan’s interstate water issues with India and Afghanistan. But international experience shows that water scarcity can exacerbate internal tensions. According to the UN Peace Institute, evidence from Pakistan shows that water scarcity, droughts, floods and domestic mismanagement can prompt tensions locally and this can escalate intrastate water disputes.

As with other diverse and larger countries, Pakistan has defused these tensions — but with current signs pointing towards greater water scarcity these tensions are likely to increase, making improved water management an economic, environmental and political imperative.

Crafting sustainable solutions will require an integrated approach to supply and demand management. In the long-term planning, coming up with strategic conservation strategies is key. Both surface and groundwater resources are being used at capacity, and current methods of extraction and uses are not only unsustainable, they are also damaging to the economy and human security today and in the future.

With the population growing even faster than projected, and the intensity of water use remaining high, if no remedial actions are taken now the water needs of the estimated 208 million Pakistanis will continue to escalate dramatically. While more reservoirs and dams may be a part of the answer, they are just one part. So, apart from building more dams and reservoirs, it is essential that Pakistan diversifies its water resources to ensure water availability. We have examples from many countries that can be adapted to Pakistan.

For instance, Singapore follows The Four Taps Strategy to tackle water shortages, and Japan has invested heavily in water-saving technologies. Similarly, we have plenty of rainwater year-round that can be recycled and stored as is being done in the Maldives.

In all those countries, a price is put on water use, so it’s important to note that for a country like Pakis­tan water is almost a free commodity. Unlike electricity, there are no water meters in houses where people pay accor­ding to usage. Thus, there is enormous, unmeasured water was­tage. To sensitise the public on water wastage it is critical that water usage is metered. Public outreach campaigns have worked elsewhere for helping put a value on water; and decreasing the intensity of water used.

Current irrigation practices are largely inefficient, and water productivity is lowest in the Indus basin’s irrigated agriculture. According to UNDP, the development of laser levelling technology and furrow-bed irrigation has resulted in saving 30pc of water and has led to an increase in productivity by 25pc in Punjab’s Okara district. Such a model should be replicated in other areas, as well as other methods, such as expanded drip irrigation farming systems.

Delaying efforts to address Pakistan’s water scarcities will intensify tensions between different stakeholders. If more Pakistanis are not to be left behind and the SDGs are to be met rapidly, reducing ‘water stress’ is crucial. Water management needs to become a top priority for Pakistan.

Neil Buhne, _UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Pakistan_

The purpose of this report is to give an overview of the way the Drought Financing Facility is designed, including two proposed pilots in Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

The Drought Financing Facility is based on a risk management approach that involves scientific modelling of drought risks, focused scenario-based contingency planning and ground monitoring, and pre-positioned financing.

The teams involved will monitor signs of emerging agricultural drought crises against pre-agreed indicators, which when reached, would prompt the automatic and predictable release of funds for early action. 

The objective is to protect communities at risk of major droughts by deploying funds to organisations on the ground in a faster, more efficient way.

By intervening earlier, we hope to prevent losses and to reduce the amount of funding needed. We are aiming to have an anticipatory model that enables early, pre-planned and pre-financed responses that will save lives, livelihoods and costs.

Funding and partnership with Humanitarian Innovation Fund and Global Parametrics.

Countrywide Conflict Displacement

As of 12 November, a total of 338,108 people were displaced due to conflict in Afghanistan. This is up by nearly 19,000 people compared to the previous week. The provinces sheltering the highest numbers of IDPs are Nangarhar (65,859), Kunduz (32,998), Badghis (24,411) and Baghlan (19,138).
Central: More than 1,500 people were reportedly displaced to Mohammed Agha and Pul-e-Alam districts, Logar, from within Logar as well as from Kunar and Kunduz provinces. More than 500 people reportedly arrived in three districts of Panjsher province from districts in Baghlan, Laghman and Nuristan. In 2017, 19,827 people were verified as displaced in the Central and Capital regions, 6 per cent of the total displacement.
Northern/North Eastern: More than 7,600 people reportedly arrived in Kunduz City from Chardarah and Dasht-e-Archi districts and some 2,000 people from four districts in Badakhshan reportedly displaced to Fayzabad city and Keshem district.
According to first reports, 8,200 people arrived in Shiberghan City, Jawzjan, from Darzab and Qushtepa districts and three districts in neighbouring Faryab and Sar-e-Pul provinces. This year, 110,619 IDPs have been verified in the two regions, 32 per cent of this year’s total displacement across the country.
Eastern: Displacements of 133 people were reported from Chaparhar, Nangarhar, and Barkunar, Kunar, to Surkhrod and Behsud districts in Nangarhar. No new displacements from Khogyani district have been observed since mid-October; 24,000 people are reportedly still in displacement. Since January, 78,068 people have been displaced in the Eastern Region, 23 per cent of the displacements across the country in 2017.
Southern/South Eastern: According to local authorities, nearly 5,500 people fled several contested districts in Hilmand,
Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces to Kandahar / Dand. More than 7,500 people arrived in Gereshk town, Hilmand, according to initial reports. A total of 68,919 people are currently displaced in the two regions, 20 per cent of the total displacements this year.
Western: No significant new displacements have been reported from the Western Region in the past week. According to information from the ground, more than 12,000 people who fled fighting in Balamurghab district in August returned to their homes. In total, 60,675 people are currently displaced in the Western Region, 18 per cent of the total displacements this year.

Overview of Migrant Situation in Turkey

According to the latest available figures from the Turkish Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM) currently there are approximately 3,5 million foreign nationals present in Turkish territory seeking for the international protection.

Most of them are Syrians 3,208,131* who are granted with the temporary protection (TP) status, while according to UNHCR another greater group of the foreign nationals seeking Turkish humanitarian and international protection are 324,115** asylum-seekers and refugees consisting of different nationalities, but mainly coming from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia and other countries.
In addition, there are 591,982* foreign nationals under residence permit holder status including humanitarian residence holders.

*Data source DGMM

**Data Source UNHCR

INTRODUCTION

This report is part IOM’s effort to provide a comprehensive statistical overview of Libya’s current migration profile.

DTM Libya’s Migrant statistical information package* includes the below report, accompanied by a comprehensive user-friendly dataset, a set of maps and a key findings one pager.

Brussels, 15 November 2017

In the run-up to the European Council in December, the Commission and the High Representative are today setting out the work still required to consolidate the positive results achieved over the past years.

With the total number of irregular crossings along the main migratory routes having decreased by 63% in 2017, collective efforts to protect the EU's external borders, cooperate with partner countries to tackle the root causes of irregular migration, improve the protection of migrants and win the fight against smugglers are showing concrete results. Looking ahead, and noting that external and internal engagements on migration are closely interlinked, the Commission and the High Representative are calling for further concerted action by the EU, Member States and partner countries to advance in parallel and to maintain the intensity of the EU's efforts on all fronts and thereby better manage migration together.

First Vice-President Frans **Timmermans** said: _"Since 2015, we have made real progress through our joint work to manage migration better in a comprehensive way. However, we are not there yet and this issue will stay with us for some time. So we must continue our comprehensive and joint efforts with even more energy and determination to consolidate our achievements and deliver the full European Agenda on Migration. Migration remains the top concern of our citizens and it should also remain our top priority."_

High Representative/Vice-President Federica **Mogherini** said: _“In the last two years, our energy has been dedicated to tackling, in a humane and effective way, one of the most challenging phenomena of our times. We have been supporting the IOM and UNHCR in helping people in distress and assisting voluntary return. We have put in place the External Investment Plan that will mobilise €40 billion in private investments. We have been working with our African friends in addressing the root causes of migration. Cooperation and partnership have always been and will remain our approach."_

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris **Avramopoulos** said: _"We are exiting crisis mode gradually and we are now managing migration in a spirit of partnership and shared responsibility, inside and outside the EU. With over 34,400 new resettlement pledges received so far, I welcome the strong commitment shown by Member States to reduce irregular and dangerous routes and enhance safe and legal pathways, showing solidarity with host countries outside the EU."_

Addressing root causes and saving lives

Since September, the EU has continued to step up its support to address the root causes of migration:

• In Turkey, the EU is well on track to contract the €3 billion under the **Facility for Refugees **by the end of 2017. Since October, one million of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees now receive monthly electronic cash transfers.
• Two years after its launch, the **EU Trust Fund for Africa** is increasing stability and resilience by supporting economic development and migration management in countries facing crises of different natures and emergency situations, with programmes worth almost €2 billion having been approved so far.
• Increased focus has been put on improving the often appalling conditions faced by migrants in **Libya**, in close cooperation with the UNHCR, UNICEF and the IOM. Almost 4,000 migrants and more than 2,000 displaced Libyan families have received medical assistance and basic support, while medical help and assistance is being delivered to migrants, including in detention centres.

As well as addressing smuggling and saving lives in the desert and at sea:

• The EU Trust Fund for Africa supports work by the IOM and the Nigerien authorities to carry out **search and rescue missions** in the desert with over 1,100 migrants having been brought to safety after being abandoned by smugglers in 2017.
• Over 15,000 migrants, including over 10,000 from Libya, have already benefitted from **assisted voluntary return**, and projects are in development to step up work with Libya's neighbours to help more migrants return home from Libya.
• With 13 assets deployed, **EU operations Triton and Sophia** have continued to support Member States' actions at sea to save lives and apprehend suspected traffickers and smugglers. In Niger, EU support to the Nigerien authorities has led to the arrest of over 100 suspected traffickers and smugglers.*

EU solidarity and support with refugees and host countries

The **EU resettlement scheme** adopted in July 2015 is due to be successfully completed and resettlements under the **EU-Turkey Statement**are continuing at a steady pace – in total, **over 25,700** persons have been resettled since the launch of the schemes. In September, the Commission launched a **new scheme **to resettle at least 50,000 of the most vulnerable refugees, in particular along the Central Mediterranean route, by October 2019. So far, over **34,400 pledges **have been received from 16 Member States.

Two years on, and with only around 750 persons in Greece and 3,100 in Italy left to relocate, the **EU relocation scheme** is successfully coming to an end. **Over 31,500 persons** have been relocated so far. Whilst almost all Member States have respected their legal obligations, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland have so far not taken any measure to address the grievances included in the Commission's reasoned opinion from July – the infringement procedures therefore remain ongoing.

Delivering on return and readmission

With the conclusion of an agreement on **Standard Operating Procedures** on return with **Bangladesh** in September, progress has been made on a key element of the EU's approach to better managing migration. The EU will continue pursuing **structured practical cooperation**with other key countries under this new approach. Engagement with Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Mali will be stepped up, and the ongoing readmission negotiations with Nigeria and Tunisia should be finalised as soon as possible.

By November, new operational steps to support Member States on return operations will be put forward by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, which will be serving as a focal point on return at EU level.

Next steps towards a stronger, more effective and fairer EU migration and asylum policy

For the **Africa Trust Fund** to continue supporting programmes, in particular in Libya and North Africa, Member States need to increase their financial contributions.

On **resettlement**, Member States should continue pledging to reach the target of at least 50,000 places in order to start the planning of concrete resettlement processes, including supporting the evacuation mechanism from Libya in cooperation with UNHCR, and endorse the Standard Operating Procedures for the Voluntary Humanitarian Admissions Scheme, finalised by the Commission and Turkey.

With **return** rates at EU level remaining unsatisfactory, this is an area which requires the commitment of all to ensure concrete progress is made. For their part, Member States are asked to collect and provide better data on returns to enable a better assessment of the effectiveness of returns and where the assistance of the of the European Border and Coast Guard could usefully contribute. The EU should also continue collectively exploring the mobilisation of all incentives and leverages to achieve progress on return, as endorsed by the European Council.

Under the **EU-Turkey Statement**, the Greek authorities need to step up the efforts and provide adequate resources to ensure effective returns to Turkey and deliver on this key element of the Statement. Only 1,969 returns have been carried out so far since March 2016.

Background

Upon taking office, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker entrusted a Commissioner with special responsibility for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, to work together with the other Commissioners, under the coordination of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, on a new policy on migration as one of the 10 priorities of the Political Guidelines of the Juncker Commission.

On 13 May 2015, the European Commission proposed a far-reaching strategy, through the European Agenda on Migration, to tackle the immediate challenges of the ongoing crisis, as well as to equip the EU with the tools to better manage migration in the medium and long term, in the areas of irregular migration, borders, asylum and legal migration.

Today's Communication presents the developments since early September and identifies key current issues requiring particular attention. It brings together, for the first time, the different work streams of the progress reports on the EU-Turkey Statement, Relocation and Resettlement, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the Partnership Framework with third countries into a in a single report reflecting the comprehensive nature of the work to deliver the European Agenda on Migration,

For More Information

Progress Report on the European Agenda on Migration

    Annex 1: EU Trust Fund for Africa

    Annex 2: Joint Action Plan on the Implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement

    Annex 3: Facility for Refugees in Turkey

    Annex 4: European Border and Coast Guard

    Annex 5: Returns

    Annex 6: Relocation

    Annex 7: Resettlement  

Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council - Progress report on the European Agenda on Migration

Factsheet: Resettlement – Ensuring safe and legal access to protection for refugees

Factsheet: Relocation – EU solidarity between Member States

Factsheet: Central Mediterranean Route

Factsheet: The European Border and Coast Guard Agency

Factsheet: Towards a more efficient and credible EU return policy

Factsheet: Financial support to Greece

Factsheet: Financial support to Italy

Factsheet: EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa

Factsheet: The EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey

#MigrationEU 

-This information was updated on 15 November.

IP/17/4484

Press contacts:

• Natasha BERTAUD (+32 2 296 74 56)
• Tove ERNST (+32 2 298 67 64)
• Catherine RAY (+32 2 296 99 21)
• Esther OSORIO (+32 2 296 20 76)

General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email

What are global climate challenges and how will Pakistan respond to them?

GLOBAL CLIMATE TALKS LINK ACTION TO FINANCE

By: Ali Tauqeer Sheikh

BONN: A week into the UN climate change conference – also known as the COP23 — in Bonn, Germany, gruelling discussions on raising climate finance started on Tuesday.

Developing countries, Pakistan included, have shown interest in discussions on adaptation measures, capacity-building, and climate finance.

While the global objective is to curb emissions and protect people against climate change, the cost of funding climate action initiatives, such as greener infrastructure and turning to more renewable energy usage, are increasing. In a series of discussions on climate finance, key takeaways included the need to get finance to flow so that the potential to invest in areas such as clean energy and climate-friendly agriculture is realised. Eric Usher, the head of the finance initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme, said: “At the heart of the climate challenge are two gaps we urgently need to bridge — the ambition and the investment gap.”

On Monday, the Green Climate Fund announced that it had committed $2.2billion in expenditures whereas it has $40bn worth of projects marked for execution.

Countries susceptible to rising sea levels, droughts and flooding are particularly anxious about climate finance drying up as the US withdraws its financial contributions.

The majority of submitted national climate plans with an adaptation component prioritise water requiring finance to the tune of $295bn annually to meet targets.

A lack of funding for the water sector would mean compromising on other development goals (energy, food security, education) for countries such as Pakistan.

Meanwhile, US billionaire media mogul, Michael Bloomberg, has pledged $50 million towards the global effort to scrap coal power even though the Trump administration has officially spurned climate action and favours promoting fossil fuels.

On Sunday (Nov 12), global leaders signed the Bonn-Fiji Commitment for further and faster climate action at the local government level.

This is a significant commitment to sustainable development when more than half the world’s population lives in cities — expected to reach to two-thirds by 2050.

Bridging the emissions gap

The target of reducing global warming to below 2°C set by the Paris Agreement has defined the direction of climate action for the coming decades.

It has been agreed that countries will undertake voluntary actions and reduce emissions though their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). According to UNEPs Emissions Gap Report 2017, released concurrent with COP23, current pledges do not cover more than a third of the emissions reduction needed.

In other words, even if all countries’ NDCs were implemented, the numbers still fall short of global targets.

If the emission gap is not bridged by 2030, it is extremely unlikely that the goal of holding global warming at 2°C will be achieved.

There is a growing consensus that national emission levels, particularly for larger economies, need to peak and begin to decline now rather than waiting for 2030.

This necessitates immediate action by major emitters and corrective measures by those who are anticipating a faster growth rate, like Pakistan.

As nations begin to report on the implementation status from 2020 onwards and periodically revise their NDCs for deeper and more ambitious reductions, equity and transparency will emerge as the central issue.

No wonder, then, that the agreement on the Paris ‘rulebook’ has become one of the moot points at Bonn.

Meaningful engagement during these global negotiations require detailed prior preparation at national and provincial levels, engaging experts, specialised institutions and concerned government departments.

Because most of these issues are negotiated concurrently, delegations are stretched and understandably prioritise certain areas at the cost of others.

What’s at stake for Pakistan

Between Bonn and COP24 in Warsaw in 2018, federal and provincial governments will need to bring their NDCs to the front burner assuring implementation to reach targets.

Pakistan has yet to initiate and agree on the process of clarifying provincial responsibilities to meet specific targets, procuring financing and formulating reporting mechanisms.

Like mitigation, adaptation is another important issue on the agenda of COP23.

The fact that COP23 is hosted by Fiji has reflected the priority of developing countries to talk more about adaptation with a twin purpose of building greater resilience to counter the impact of climate change and boost access to climate finance adaptation.

Pakistan has been consistently ranked high in several vulnerability indices, reflecting the need for augmented investments to reduce climate vulnerabilities and enhance resilience through water, food and energy security and enhancing livelihood options.

However, currently, given the Fijian presidency of COP23 as well as the recent wave of hurricanes in the Caribbean, attention has been drawn towards these highly vulnerable island nations — and away from Pakistan.

Investing in SDGs to meet climate change targets

There is seldom reference to the Sustainable Development Goals in the NDCs, because they were finalised and ratified about a year after the NDCs were submitted.

Because climate change has emerged as a development issue, there is an emerging window of opportunity to invest in the SDGs to meet climate targets as set in our NDCs.

Both commitments have been voluntarily agreed upon by our government; regarding both, there is growing global expectation for meaningful and verifiable progress.

The SDGs and NDCs have been designed for implementation in an integrated manner and adopt bottom-up practices requiring financial resources from domestic and international sources.

In Pakistan’s context, the arena of action for both lies in the provinces, after the 18th Amendment, and are anchored firmly in planning and development departments.

The NDC submitted by Pakistan, for example, focuses primarily on energy, agriculture, industrial processes, land use and forestry, and waste.

These priorities relate to specific SDG targets. Meeting these commitments will hinge on sustained political will through changes in government, cohesive public and private partnerships, and parliamentary oversight to ensure transparency.

Infographics designed by Nabeel Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, Nov 15th, 2017

Read more on Dawn

As climate change impacts are increasing the likelihood of natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, having a thorough disaster risk management plan is become more important for communities throughout the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). The government of Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan has recognized the efforts of the Indus Basin Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and consortium partners to establish more resilient mountain villages through partnership with the Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GB-DMA). As part of this effort ICIMOD built the institutional capacity of GB-DMA to enable the transition from a response-based approach to a proactive one by updating the Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Risk Management Plan.

Carried out in coordination with partners including WWF-Pakistan and Agha Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), these efforts have strengthened service providers and helped communities adapt to climate change through:

1. High-value orchard development in Morkhun-Gojal and Popdin-Passu through solar powered river water lifting and irrigating through high efficiency irrigation systems;

2. Protection of valuable croplands from river erosion in Passu village through women-led biological engineering of Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) along the Hunza River;

3. Successful rehabilitation of the deteriorated glacier fed irrigation system for Shahabad-Ghulkin;

4. High value agro production in Zarabad-Hussaini through sustainable irrigation and water supply systems;

5. Lifting river water for Khyber village using hydro-ram pumps;

6. Piloting women-managed production of bio-briquettes for household use using biodegradable waste, and;

7. Establishing hazard management systems in Gulmit, Passu, Gulkin and Hussaini through customized Community Based Glacier Monitoring and Early Warning Systems (CBFEWS): CBFEWS for Debris flow in Damas, Flash flood in Sherqilla and GLOF in Passu.

Gilgit-Baltistan is home of the Hindu Kush, Himalaya and Karakorum mountain ranges. The region is combating climatic variations that lead to disasters like avalanches, glacial lake outburst floods and torrential monsoon rains. All of these disasters trigger socio-economic changes in the communities they affect, further aggravating community livelihood options in areas with already limited agricultural opportunities. Other partners include the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Karakorum International University, Forest Department GB, and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.

This initiative is part of ICIMOD’s River Basins Programme, Indus Basin Initiative. The transboundary Indus basin, with an area size of 1.1 million sq.km, is spread across Afghanistan, China, India (33%), and Pakistan (52%) with the upper portion resting in the Hindu Kush, Karakorum, and Himalayan ranges. The basin ranks among the most important in the world in terms of human dependence, supporting about 215 million people directly or indirectly. The upper part of the basin is the main source of water for agriculture, energy production, industrial use, and human consumption for the entire basin.

Overview

In October, 33,595 eligible refugees and asylum seekers (15,153 households) received cash assistance in Greece, in 93 locations.
UNHCR provides cash assistance in Greece, as part of the ESTIA programme, funded by the European Commission. Cash assistance restores dignity and empowers asylum-seekers and refugees who can now choose how to cover their basic needs. It also contributes directly to the economy of the host community through the purchase of services and goods. UNHCR in Greece works with the Greece Cash Alliance partners the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Samaritan’s Purse, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Mercy Corps.

Demographics of refugees and asylum-seekers assisted with cash

In total, since April 2017, 49,853 eligible individuals are estimated to have received cash assistance in Greece at least once. Eligibility is assessed on the basis of one’s date of entry in the country, legal status and current location. In October, 15,153 households containing in total 33,595 individuals received cash assistance. Of those, 42% were children, 23% were women and 35% were men. One quarter of those provided cash assistance are families, with an average family size of four people.
The amount of cash assistance distributed to each household is proportionate to the family size. It ranges between 90 euros for an individual, to 550 euros for a family of seven members or more.

“We are in danger of ending life as we know it on our planet” Islamic Declaration on Climate Change

Islamic Relief has raised over £26 million in the last three years to address issues related to climate change. This review sets out the challenges and describes Islamic Relief’s most recent interventions. Climate Champions highlights how communities are working with us to adapt to climate change and build resilience, including efforts to reduce the risk from future shocks. It also captures why Islamic Relief is vocal on climate change and climate justice issues, and how we are campaigning to reduce emissions, promote sustainable living and protect the most vulnerable.

Download the first edition of Climate Champions (second edition due to be published in 2018).

Islamic Relief is marking 25 years of service in Pakistan, a country close to the heart of many of its donors and supporters. From sponsoring orphans and responding to emergencies, to developing communities and tackling climate change, Islamic Relief has been working with people across Pakistan to bring positive change to their lives.

Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP) was established in 1992 and over the past quarter of a century, has improved the lives of over eight million people, spending over £100 million on relief and development programmes.

“Our first programme in Pakistan was providing assistance to those affected by the floods of 1992. Soon after we began supporting orphaned children, as well as distributing Ramadan food hampers and Qurbani meat. Since then we have expanded our projects to encompass all sectors of society, working with communities to build a sustainable route out of poverty,” said Dr Hany El Banna, Founder of Islamic Relief Worldwide.

Over the years, Islamic Relief has responded to some of the most devastating emergencies including the impact of the Afghan refugee crisis in 2002, the deadly 2005 earthquake during which our work was recognised by the Pakistan government, and widespread floods across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab in 2010 and 2011.

“In all the major disasters in Pakistan’s recent history, Islamic Relief has been there to support vulnerable communities,” said Adnan Cheema, Country Director of IRP. “We have reached people in their time of need and our aim is always to help rebuild their lives so that they are self-sufficient and no longer dependent on aid.”

Some of the highlights of IRP’s development work in Pakistan include the Prevention of Blindness clinic in Nushki district that has been running for over a decade and our pioneering Islamic microfinance programme that has offered many Pakistanis a route out of poverty. IRP has also campaigned for Pakistan’s crippling national debt to be erased as it continues to exacerbate social inequalities and hinder development.

In recent years, IRP has been committed to reducing the impact of disasters in Pakistan, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world that has witnessed an increase in extreme weather events. Our Disaster Risk Reduction programmes help build the resilience of vulnerable communities, allowing them to be better prepared for disasters as well as recover from them after they occur.

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic Relief has supported the government in developing a ten-year disaster risk management roadmap.

IRP marked its 25th anniversary on 15th November 2017, with an event at Islamabad’s prestigious Serena Hotel, attended by UN agencies, international NGOs, development partners and representatives from various governmental departments and embassies. Many of those volunteering at the event were orphans who had been sponsored by Islamic Relief donors during their childhood.

“There are educated, resourceful and successful young people here who had the most difficult start in life and have managed to turn their lives around thanks to your support,” said Dr Hany El Banna. “This is a beautiful testament to Islamic Relief’s legacy in Pakistan, and we look forward to many more years of empowering the people of this nation to fulfil their potential.”

With families on the move posing one of the biggest challenges to eradication in Pakistan, an innovative campaign is vaccinating children on trains.

Dressed in a blue uniform, carrying a vaccine carrier on his shoulder, Imran Khan is a polio vaccinator working at Karachi Cantonment Railway station. “I make sure no child under five travelling by train is missed during the immunization campaign,” he says. Apart from vaccinating children, Imran also sensitizes their parents on the importance of vaccination and threats posed by the crippling disease.

Vaccinating children inside trains is a unique initiative introduced in Pakistan’s Sindh province which is connected with the rest of country through a railway network that transports millions of people every day. Passengers include people travelling to visit family and communities living on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as seasonal migrants and displaced populations. With many of these people moving between areas where polio continues to circulate, the threat of the virus continuing to survive as it moves from place to place via this human network is one of the biggest challenges the programme is facing. Reaching children on the move with the polio vaccine is therefore critical for stopping the virus.

Currently there are more than 500 permanent transit points across the country, where vaccination teams work to vaccinate all children under the age of five as they cross district, provincial and national borders. The strategy to vaccinate children inside trains themselves was started in Pakistan’s Sindh province in January 2017. Since then, during each vaccination campaign, polio workers vaccinate children travelling on the popular rail route between Karachi and Hyderabad, Sindh’s two biggest cities, which was selected for the project implementation.

“During campaign days, I travel from Karachi to Hyderabad on a daily basis. Along with other team members, we visit all the train compartments to vaccinate each and every eligible child”, says Imran Khan with passion in his voice.

According to Dr Nawab Khan, High Risk Mobile Population coordinator with Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative: “To maintain and increase population immunity against polio in Pakistan, reaching children through public transport routes is an effective outreach strategy. It plays an important role in interrupting the transmission of poliovirus and represents a great opportunity to vaccinate children missed during door-to-door immunization campaigns.”

More than 24 thousand children have been vaccinated inside trains running between Karachi and Hyderabad since the project started.

It is thanks to the use of innovative strategies such as this one that the Pakistan Eradication Polio Programme has come so close towards achieving a future in which polio no longer endangers children, families, and communities. The progress can be seen in the declining number of wild poliovirus (WPV) cases in Pakistan: from 306 cases in 2014, to 54 in 2015, and 20 in 2016. As of October 2017, the total number of WPV cases reported in Pakistan stands at five.

ABU DHABI, 15th November, 2017 (WAM) -- The UAE has provided over 219 million units of polio vaccine to more than 43 million Pakistani children between 2014 and September 2017, through its anti-polio drive in the country.

The UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE-PAP) was launched under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The UAE vaccination campaign is part of efforts to eradicate polio in the world and reflects the UAE leadership's keenness to strengthen global efforts to reduce the spread of epidemics and prevent their impact on children.

Speaking to reporters today at the International Health Forum, "Reaching the Last Mile – Mobilising Together to Eliminate Infectious Disease", Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of UAE-PAP, said that in the first nine months of 2017, the campaign succeeded in providing 61,670,713 doses of the vaccine and is continuing its efforts to deliver more in the future.

Al Ghafli praised the support provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the UAE's campaign and its strategic partnership with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed's initiative to eradicate poliomyelitis worldwide through funding and providing assistance in a number of areas.

The campaign is being implemented in various regions of Pakistan with the support of more than 87,000 workers including doctors and nurses and more than 25,000 members of safety and security, management and coordination teams.