United Nations Radio

The United Nations is pulling out some of its expatriate staff and is preparing to suspend long term development work in the areas along the Afghan border because of increasing insecurity and targeted attacks against its personnel. Eleven United Nations personnel have been killed in Pakistan this year, including last month's attack on the World Food Programme's Islamabad office by a suicide bomber. The attack left 5 dead and 4 wounded. UN Radio's Diane Bailey spoke to Susan Manuel who was working as the Spokesperson for the United Nations Office at the time. She reflects on how the violence that day and how it has affected their operations in the country.

MANUEL: It changed entirely the position of the UN in Pakistan. I mean there had been staff killed in the last couple of years. But they didn't really know if these were staff who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This World Food Programme attack was a direct attack on the UN. So, that changed the whole way the UN looks at itself, looks at its security, even though the World Food Programme was barricaded by these huge blast walls and these Tesco barriers, really war type barriers around the UN and yet it was very carefully targeted the terrorists scoped out that there was a weakness in the protection in the sense that these guards could go in and out without being screened and they detected that, and penetrated it and it worked for them. So there is huge re-think, several offices including ours the UN information Center was closed because it really had no decent security.

BAILEY: What does that going to mean for these millions of people who are displaced? How will people who have no means of support get any assistance?

MANUEL: As I understand it, food aid and health aid and water and sanitation is still being delivered to the displaced people of SWAT, many of whom have gone back. I think it is still under two million who are receiving aid. We were originally helping 80,000 now I think they are expecting 100,000 - so we are not talking about millions. This is a less populated area along the frontier Afghanistan.

BAILEY: On a more personal level, you mentioned colleagues that you had become friendly with, the pleasantness of Islamabad. What was it like for you to working there, and particularly as a Western woman?

MANUEL: After the World Food Programme bombing, the Head of WFP Josette Shereen had a big meeting with her staff. They were all in this huge circle in a room, in a hotel and it was very emotional. And yet the staff representative of the WFP came to her and said we don't want you to cut back on programming and I thought that was very impressive.

BAILEY: Is there anything in particular, any image or event or moment that has stayed with you from your thirty days or so in Pakistan?

MANUEL: At the memorial attended by all these dignitaries and whatever, this man got up who had been the husband of a woman who was killed and he said I took her to work everyday and I picked her up everyday for five years and until I came to this room, I did not realize that I would not be doing that again. It was such a simple statement but it just brings you up short. You feel like, Oh my God, this is not just a memo, this is not just a programme, this not a routine job, this is a job that people are losing their lives for and are staying despite the risks.

PRES: Susan Manuel, former Spokersperson for the UN office in Pakistan speaking to Diane Bailey.

Producer: Jocelyne Sambira
duration: 2'49"