NEW YORK: UN Secretary General António Guterres said how the world responds now to Pakistan’s struggles to cope with the impact of climate induced floods is a litmus test.
Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, he said Pakistan needs and deserves massive support from the international community,” he said.
Despite contributing less than one per cent of global emissions, Pakistan’s people face a staggering 15 times higher risk of dying from climate-related impacts.
“Pakistan is a double victim – of climate chaos, and of our outdated and unjust global financial system that prevents middle-income countries from accessing much needed resources to invest in adaptation and resilience,” he stressed.
torrential monsoon rains, the floods submerged one third of Pakistan, claimed over 1,700 lives, destroyed two million homes, critical infrastructure, and affected 33 million people – half of them children.
In the immediate aftermath, the Government, supported by the UN launched a flood response plan, requesting $816 million to support 9.5 million of the most affected people. That appeal is about 69 per cent funded.
Even today, the response continues as UN and partners assist people in flood-ravaged areas, after further punishing rains fell this summer and Pakistan’s economy struggles to recover.
Agencies such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are also helping people rebuild livelihoods.
Comments are closed.