The United Nations (UN) will soon initiate a Flash Appeal to help Pakistan deal with the destruction caused by ongoing monsoon rains and floods.
The appeal will reportedly be worth $160 million, aimed at assisting to help nearly a million people who have been affected by the seasonal devastation.
The Spokesperson for the Foreign Office (FO), Asim Iftikhar, announced on Friday that the UN Flash Appeal will be launched simultaneously from Geneva and Islamabad on Tuesday, 30 August.
“As you can see, the scale of the disaster is so huge that it requires urgent cooperation and support from the international community. We are grateful to the UN, IFIs, and a host of our partners and friendly countries who are stepping forward with assistance,” he elaborated.
Iftikhar continued, “We have engaged the UN system right from the beginning. The UN Resident Coordinator and his team have been working on this issue for many days now, visiting the flood-hit areas, making assessments, and working with the NDMA to produce this joint assessment, the document that will be presented, on the basis of which the flash appeal will be launched.”
He also emphasized that the UN Flash Appeal “is very significant” and is expected to “trigger the international community’s response as well as bilateral assistance from other countries.”
Regarding how the government will ensure that fake organizations do not collect funds on behalf of the UN, the FO Spokesperson remarked, “I think everyone knows UN’s agencies and their programs. All I can say is that we should remain vigilant about the kind of organizations you are referring to.”
When asked about whether the government will organize an International Donor Conference, he replied that it has mobilized efforts for the cause since late July and early August, but Pakistan clearly does “require international assistance to complement the national effort.”
Iftikhar also revealed that a donor’s conference was convened at the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) yesterday, and was attended by several UN Agencies and representatives of resident diplomatic missions, besides Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
A UN Flash Appeal is an internationally recognized mechanism that is employed to expedite the collection of funds for UN agencies and NGOs in support of a government’s emergency operations. It is functional for three months, and is used to encourage international donors from government and private sectors to make donations for the cause in accordance with clear priorities outlined by the government.
