ISLAMABAD: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided more than $338 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan since 2014 to support more than 2.2 million temporarily displaced persons in areas such as agriculture, health, livelihoods, food, nutrition, protection, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.
This was stated by USAID-KP Director Altaf Afridi while briefing the press on Sunday.
He said that USAID is supporting the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in expanding governance, improving services delivery, creating economic opportunities and developing infrastructure in KP, especially the merged areas.
Afridi said that stability and development in KP, particularly in the merged districts along the border with Afghanistan, are critical to global and regional security.
USAID is partnering with the government of Pakistan to expand the presence of government entities in the newly merged areas, provide basic services, and facilitate economic opportunities.
These jointly prioritised objectives are in line with Pakistan’s Tribal Decade Strategy 2020-2030 with the mutual goal to increase stability by delivering development to the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
He added that successful merger proved helpful in getting access of state institutions to the areas, making developments in the under privileged zone, economic revival, job creation, making better livelihood, reconstruction of infrastructure, women empowerment and convening superior services to the inhabitants.
USAID did plenty of work in Peshawar city, including development of the water sanitation system. The agency supported the construction of 600km of road network in merged areas of KP including, three major cross-border trade routes that created business opportunities for people. The busiest of these is the Peshawar-Torkham highway that caters to 16,000 vehicles every day.
Further, USAID in FATA was still engaged in building schools devastated in terrorism and floods, constructing other infrastructure and upgrading electricity system. In the area solar panels were being installed for regular water systems.
For example, USAID has constructed and rehabilitated more than 967 schools & educational institutions including the Girls’ schools which were destroyed during the 2009 conflict and 2010 floods. Solid waste management machinery, sanitation and water pipes reintegration in the different areas are at the final stages.
