The United Nations and the Pakistani government on Tuesday issued a Flash Appeal – 2022 Pakistan Floods Response Plan (FRP) for $160 million in emergency aid to provide relief to the victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan.
In his video message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “the people of Pakistan face the unrelenting impact of heavy rains and flooding – worst in decades”.
UNSG added that “the Government of Pakistan’s response has been swift. It has released national funds, including in the form of immediate cash relief. But the scale of needs is rising like the flood waters. It requires the world’s collective and prioritized attention.”
The FRP is being launched in the backdrop of devastating rains, floods and landslides that have impacted more than 33 million people in different parts of Pakistan. Over 1,100 people have lost their lives, more than 1,600 people have been injured, over 287,000 houses have been fully and 662,000 partially destroyed, over 735,000 livestock have perished and 2 million acres of crops have been adversely impacted, besides severe damage to communications infrastructure.
The FRP focuses on the needs of 5.2 million people, with life-saving response activities amounting to $160.3 million covering food security, assistance for agriculture and livestock, shelter and non-food items, nutrition programmes, primary health services, protection, water and sanitation, women’s health, and education support, as well as shelter for displaced people.
Delivering the keynote address, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, “The Government’s efforts are being supported by the Pakistani nation with people, civil society and humanitarian organizations stepping forward in a big way to complement the relief work with our characteristic generosity and philanthropic spirit. The Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2022 has also been established to facilitate people all over the country and overseas to contribute to the flood relief efforts.”
The foreign minister added that “this Appeal is expected to address only a part of the overall requirements and will, therefore, complement the broader effort.”
He underscored that the international community’s “full support and solidarity with the people of Pakistan at this time would go a long way in alleviating their suffering and in helping to rebuild their lives and communities”.
Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal highlighted that “Pakistan being a negligible contributor to the overall carbon footprint, is still among the top ten countries that are vulnerable to climate change, and with extreme weather events which we have experienced from earlier this year like the heat waves, forest fires, multiple glacial lake-outburst-floods and now these disastrous monsoon floods.”
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Julien Harneis said: “This super flood is driven by climate change – the causes are international and so the response calls for international solidarity.”
Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz gave a detailed briefing on the current humanitarian situation and efforts of the Government of Pakistan, supported by humanitarian partners in carrying out rescue and relief operations.
The launch event was well attended by the Diplomatic Corps both in Islamabad and Geneva, heads of UN agencies in Pakistan, representatives of international organizations, IFIs, civil society and media. The participants offered condolences and expressions of solidarity on the loss of precious lives and damage to infrastructure by the floods, and assured their continued support to the relief, rescue, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts of Pakistan.