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Pakistan + 2 more

WFP Pakistan Country Brief, July 2017

Attachments

Highlights

  • Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 “call to action” event held.

  • Work on “Positive Deviance” is currently underway in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and three provinces of Pakistan.

  • WFP launched the “Food Security and Livelihoods Assessment of Returned Households Residing in FATA” report.

  • WFP provides cash to returnees in North Waziristan Agency in Pakistan.

  • BISP and WFP launch “Nutrition Drive” for 1.5 million women.

Operational Updates

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 “call to action” event held
The Government of Punjab, in collaboration with WFP Pakistan, organized a “call to action” event in order to reiterate the Government’s commitment towards achieving SDG 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” The discussion revolved around the attainment of SDG 2 with particular focus on government efforts, inter-sectoral coordination, communication, policy development, technological advancement, public-private partnership and social entrepreneurship. The session was very successful in identifying some of the key challenges that the province currently faces, and identifying the way forward for a more collaborative and focused effort.

Food insecurity rate reduces by 20 percentage points since 2014 in FATA
WFP Pakistan released the “Food Security and Livelihoods Assessment of Returned Households Residing in FATA”. This is a joint initiative by the Food Security Cluster, the FATA Bureau of Statistics, and the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Unit under the leadership of the FATA Secretariat. The study indicates a consistent and significant drop in the total food insecurity rate in FATA between 2014 and 2017. This report provides updated evidence regarding the food security, livelihoods and market situation in all seven FATA agencies. It finds that while in 2014, 44 percent of the population was defined as food-insecure, in 2017 only 24 percent are in the same situation where they do not have access to or cannot afford sufficient food for their daily dietary and nutritional needs.

WFP provides cash to returnees in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Pakistan
WFP Pakistan has successfully implemented its first cashbased livelihood programme for conflict-affected people who have returned to their areas of origin in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) of FATA. Under the programme, people are paid to work on activities that provide livelihood opportunities while helping reduce disaster risks in their communities. This initiative aims to benefit 6,600 families in NWA.

The Positive Deviance approach to change nutrition behaviour in Pakistan
The Positive Deviance (PD) initiative is an approach to social and behavior change, based on positive strategies of certain individuals in every community to find better solutions to their problems. Currently, a study on Positive Deviance is underway in FATA and three provinces of Pakistan to identify positive, replicable and sustainable solutions in communities to address malnutrition in Pakistan. Based on the findings of the study, WFP will develop a well-informed and nutrition-based behaviour change communication strategy that would complement its ongoing nutrition interventions.

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and WFP launch “Nutrition Drive” for 1.5 million women
BISP, in collaboration with WFP, launched a nutrition drive for 1.5 million women across the country. WFP is currently training BISP social mobilizers on the following key nutrition topics: spending wisely on nutrition; maternal nutrition; and exclusive mother feeding. These master trainers will further create awareness among 1.5 million beneficiary mothers in 32 districts across the country. This initiative will be a step towards creating an impact at the grassroots level by improving knowledge, attitudes and practices related to nutrition.