Early recovery is about shifting the focus from saving lives to restoring livelihoods, thuseffectively preventing recurrence of disasters and harnessing conditions for human development.One month after the 8 October 2005 earthquake struck northern Pakistan, a number of activitieshave been initiated in support of the speedy recovery of the affected population, concurrentlywith ongoing humanitarian and life-saving operations. This Early Recovery Framework has beenformulated to inform and support the national strategy for reconstruction and rehabilitation, withassistance from the United Nations (UN) system as well as selected non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) and other international partners in Pakistan.The Early Recovery Framework is based upon a joint preliminary assessment of early recoveryneeds in the most affected areas (TOR attached as Annex 5). The Framework aims to bridge thegap between immediate relief and long-term reconstruction. It focuses on identifying concreteinterventions that may be implemented on an immediate basis. It sets out a number of strategicprinciples and directions for each sector of intervention that will help guide activities forimproved aid effectiveness. The Framework will guide recovery interventions that aim to:• augment ongoing humanitarian assistance operations;• support spontaneous recovery efforts of the affected population;• prepare the ground for sustainable long-term reconstruction; and• reduce future disaster risks.It will complement efforts to plan and implement the longer-term reconstruction programme thatthe Government is planning to implement based on a Preliminary Damage and NeedsAssessment, prepared with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.The Early Recovery Framework focuses on the most critical and immediate needs of the affectedpopulation to rebuild their livelihoods, and to restore the full capacities of civil administration inthe affected areas. Its timeframe is 12 to 18 months.