press releases
U.S. And Pakistan Sign Earthquake Reconstruction Support Agreement In Muzaffarabad
07/01/2006Muzaffarabad, AJK – The governments of the United States and Pakistan today signed an agreement that provides $40.8 million to rebuild and refurnish schools and clinics in the earthquake-affected areas. This is the second installment of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) 4-year $200 million reconstruction assistance program.
The $40.8 million will be used to build, furnish and train staff at schools and clinics in NWFP and AJK, bringing needed facilities to develop communities in the earthquake zone. The ceremony was also marked by a commitment by the United States to further strengthen its support to the International Office of Migration (IOM) for its ongoing rubble removal project in central Muzaffarabad.
The bilateral agreement was signed by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Director Jonathan Addleton in Muzaffarabad. The Secretary for Economic Affairs Division Khalid Saeed had previously signed in Islamabad. The signing was witnessed by U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker and Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed, Deputy of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA).
Speaking at the signing event, Ambassador Crocker commented on the extensive assistance provided by the U.S. in the areas devastated by the earthquake. "The United States was helping Pakistan dig out from under the earthquake within 24 hours," he noted, adding that "The U.S. is now assisting ERRA to help AJK and NWFP not just recover, but grow and develop over at least the next four years. This assistance is an expression of our continuing commitment."
The Muzaffarabad event also acknowledged the extraordinary progress that has been made in clearing the streets of rubble. In just a month and a half, the USAID-IOM partnership has already opened up many of the narrow streets of Muzaffarabad’s central business district to commerce and business activity.
The Deputy of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed spoke at the event, saying that, "It is impressive to see how much is going on in the city of Muzaffarabad, one of the hardest hit by the earthquake. Reconstruction cannot unfortunately all happen at once, it is a process of many steps, but we will succeed in building a strong, safe and economically vibrant city. USAID is a major and valuable partner in the rebuilding process. This project, which has cleared much of the rubble off the streets of Muzaffarabad in just a few months, has already improved business in the city."
The Muzaffarabad rubble-removal project has cleared streets and alleys of rubble, enabling home owners to continue with the rebuilding process. IOM has employed 170 people to remove the rubble, and the program has generated additional employment as private contractors are now able to efficiently do the work of salvaging and reusing rebar, stones and other valuable materials from damaged buildings.
In all, the United States, through USAID, is providing more than $1.5 billion in development assistance to Pakistan over the next five years to improve education, health, governance and economic growth. In addition, the United States has pledged a total of $510 million in earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts to assist the people of Pakistan and to support Pakistani government relief and reconstruction efforts.