GENEVA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched 13 rehabilitation projects in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) on Tuesday.

    The effort was in response to damage resulting from last year's military operations, IOM spokesperson Jean-Phillipe Chauzy said during Tuesday's press briefing in Geneva.

    "We are working with the government at federal and provincial level to rehabilitate and rebuild infrastructure to help ensure sustainability for displaced families returning to their places oforigin," Hassan Abdel Moneim Mostafa, IOM Regional Representative for West and Central Asia, said in a press release.

    IOM signed agreements with local contractors on Tuesday as part of the 2009 Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan and based on consultation with the NWFP government.

    The planned activities include access to drinking water, road construction, and rebuilding schools. "Besides generating jobs and income for local people, the projects will help to restore pre-conflict standards of living and reduce dependency on relief aid," Chauzy said.

    The Geneva-based IOM was founded in 1951 and has 127 members.