OCHA’s involvement in Pakistan began in 1987, when an office was set up in Peshawar to support the organization’s Afghanistan operations. This office was moved to Afghanistan in 2003. In 2005, an office was officially established in Pakistan to respond to the devastating earthquake in the north. OCHA’s presence was scaled back in the ensuing years, but the organization re-established an office in 2009 to assist over 3 million people displaced by insecurity in the north-west.

When the monsoon floods struck in July 2010, OCHA established cluster-based coordination structures due to the scale of the emergency. OCHA established field coordination offices and extended its reach into the worst-affected districts. After the end of the relief phase in January 2011, OCHA reduced its field presence. However, the return of significant flooding in August 2011 and the reactivation of the cluster system prompted OCHA to again reinforce its presence in the country.

OCHA’s Country Office is in Islamabad, and field offices are located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP); Quetta, Balochistan; and Karachi, Sindh.

Current Focus

OCHA brings together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies in Pakistan, and to establish a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.

OCHA continues to deliver its core functions, such as operational coordination, humanitarian financing, advocacy and information management, in response to humanitarian needs in Balochistan and Sindh, where flooding occurred in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and in KP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which have experienced a complex emergency since 2008.

Through knowledge sharing and training, OCHA also helps strengthen the capacity of national and international stakeholders to respond to emergencies.

Forward Strategy

Given the likely recurrence of natural disasters and crises in Pakistan, OCHA will work closely with the Government and humanitarian partners to ensure an effective response to future crises.

Office Contact Information

OCHA Pakistan
Serena Business Complex
Level 2, Khayaban-e-Suharwardy
Sector G-5, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: (+92) 51 835 5600
Fax: (+92) 51 835 5981