The Aga Khan Development Network commits $50 million to Pakistan's earthquake appeal
Islamabad, Pakistan, 19 November 2005 - His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), has made a three-year, $50-million commitment for the AKDN to support rehabilitation, socio-economic development, and earthquake-preparedness in areas of the North West Frontier Province and Azad Jammu and Kashmir affected by the 8 October shock. The announcement was made today by Prince Amyn Aga Khan, brother of His Highness, at an international donor conference, convened by the Government of Pakistan, and attended by President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, and high level delegations from multilateral agencies and more than 56 countries.
The AKDN will provide a combination of financial and technical support and will draw on the extensive expertise and experience of AKDN agencies gained through decades of work with urban and rural communities in high-mountain, seismically sensitive areas in Pakistan, Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia. The commitment includes:
- Education in land planning, training in seismic-resistant construction, disaster preparedness, and the development of civil society expertise and capacities to improve planning for urban and rural communities, all to optimise the rebuilding of the habitat and to help mitigate the impact of future earthquakes.
- Community mobilisation for rehabilitation and socio-economic development.
- Training, including in-service training, of health and education professionals to serve remote and isolated mountain communities.
- Technical advice and longer-term support for safer and more efficient aerial access to the affected region, including the improvement of the quality of air transport infrastructure, such as helicopter landing pads, approach guidance systems, refuelling bases and maps.
- Continued support for access to the affected areas from AKDN’s Pakistan - based helicopters, and others in the region as necessary, whose design specifically enables them to function effectively in high-mountain zones.
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