The month of August 2008 saw Pakistan suffer from a series of overlapping crises, leaving hundreds of thousands in need of humanitarian assistance. Counter-terrorism operations and inter-tribal violence in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Swat District in NWFP has caused significant displacement. Many families have fled to NWFP in the recent months from Swat, Bajaur, South and North Waziristan, Kurram, Khyber and Hangu Agencies in FATA, having suffered from repeated incidents and protracted insecurity and have relocated to the rural and the urban areas. The traditional hospitality of friends, families and tribal networks helped to absorb most of the displaced since the conflict worsened. However, absorption capacity is now exhausted, with host families themselves badly affected by the overall economic crisis, and with the availability of living space in settled areas limited and expensive. As people continue to move into NWFP from the affected areas, majority of them have moved to live with host families, providing humanitarian assistance has become particularly challenging under prevailing security situation and pace of registration.

In response to the ongoing displacement in NWFP due to conflict, this project implemented by UN-HABITAT aims to provide assistance to IDPs families in host families, that are the majority of IDPs. Recent figure of registered IDPs reached the total of 461,174 individuals living outside camps, in 11 NWFP Districts. While it is acknowledged that the food and NFIs to registered IDPs with host families are provided, little is done with regards to the living space of the IDPs with the host families. UN-HABITAT’s survey of the living conditions of IDPs with host families in 7 Union Councils of Mardan District, conducted at the end of February, has brought to light the appalling and undignified conditions under which the vulnerable IDPs live. This proposal, although not included in the Prioritization Statement prepared in March 2009, has been endorsed by the Pakistan Humanitarian Country Team after UN-HABITAT presented the results of the survey on the dire shelter needs of the IDP population living outside the official camps. This project is part of an overall program that covers shelter, emergency repair of shelters, water and sanitation for IDPs and vulnerable host families.