The UN has increased its humanitarian plea for Pakistan by five times, from $160 million to $816 million, an official said on Monday, as it works to contain a rise in water-borne infections following the nation’s worst floods in decades,
In a disaster that the government and the U.N. have linked to climate change, floods brought on by heaving monsoon rains and melting glaciers have claimed the lives of close to 1,700 people.
At a briefing in Geneva, Julien Harneis, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, declared, “We are now entering a second wave of death and destruction.”
If we do not support the government in boosting the supply of health, nutrition, water, and sanitation services across the afflicted areas, there will be an increase in child morbidity, and it will be really horrible, he warned.
In the meantime, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today stated that on October 4 in Geneva, the Government of Pakistan and UN would jointly launch an upgraded flash appeal.
Senator Sherry Rehman, minister for climate change, will attend the event in person in Geneva, along with Professor Ahsan Iqbal, minister for planning, development, and special initiatives; Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, minister for economic affairs; and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, who will participate virtually from Islamabad.
In addition to Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Julien Harneis, the UN will be represented by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths and Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
UN Member States, as well as numerous UN agencies and humanitarian groups active in disaster relief, will attend the summit.
According to the ministry, the government and UN worked closely together to develop the flood response plan.
It focuses on giving the needy individuals impacted by the unexpected floods the aid they need. The news release also stated that it “complements the government’s broader reaction to the recent floods in Pakistan brought on by climate change.
On August 30, the UN issued a rapid appeal for $160 million in aid for flood recovery, however the amount was deemed insufficient in light of the enormous devastation.
Due to the destruction brought on by heavy rains and flash floods, which affected more than 33 million people, mostly in Sindh and Balochistan, the government has predicted that its economic growth rate will plunge dramatically to 2 percent during the current fiscal year, compared to the 5 percent budgeted target.
