Pakistan needs massive financial support to undertake rescue & relief efforts for flood affectees: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
ISLAMABAD, Sep 09 (SABAH): United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appealed the international community that Pakistan needs massive financial support to undertake rescue and relief efforts as well as to meet the challenge of rehabilitation and reconstruction in the wake of devastation caused by recent floods in the country.
Addressing a joint news conference, along with Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, in Islamabad on Friday, Antonio Guterres said Pakistan is not making any significant contribution to the industrial emissions, but it faces major brunt of the climate change. He said especially, the countries that make most of the emissions should do justice by providing massive support to the people of Pakistan to meet this calamity.
The UN Secretary General urged the global community to mobilize everything possible to support the people of Pakistan as they have lost their houses, jobs, and crops. Expressing solidarity with the people of Pakistan, he assured that everyone needs to be mobilized to come out of this crisis.
UN Secretary General said that he wants to say some words to the international community, Pakistan Needs massive financial support to respond this crisis that have costed $30 billion. He said that this support is entirely necessary and it is not a matter of solidarity but it is matter of justice. He said that Pakistan has not contributed in a meaningful way to climate change. He said that Pakistan is one of the most dramatically impacted countries by climate change, it is frontline of the impact of climate change. He said that it is absolutely essential that this is recognized by the international community, especially those countries who have more contributed to the climate change. He said that an effective solidarity, an effective justice is now shown by mobilizing massive support for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction after these devastating impacts of the monsoon and plus accelerated melting of the glaciers.
UN secretary general said that at the same time it is moment to say that we are adding into a disaster, we have waged war on nature and nature is striking back and striking back in devastating way, today in Pakistan and tomorrow any of your countries. UN secretary general said that we need to stop the increase of omissions and start reducing them now and at the same time we have to mobilize much more resource to support those countries that need to be resilience which is called adaptation that needs to create conditions to resist the impact of these devastating disasters caused by climate change
He said that this is a time to mobilize the efforts of everybody against the climate change and this is a time to support massively Pakistani people in this dramatic hour.
UN Secretary General said that to the Pakistan people he was not a stranger to Pakistan. Antonio Guterres said that he wants to reassure Pakistan that we will do everything possible to mobilize the international community to support Pakistan and support all of you in this very dramatic situation, in which beyond the numbers, the numbers are appalling, I see the families who have lost their loved ones, I see the families who lost their houses, I see the families who lost their crops and they are living in desperate conditions.
Antonio Guterres said that I have seen enormous effort of response from civil servants, the government, from the army, from the NGOs and from the population in extraordinary demonstration of solidarity within the borders of Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the Secretary General for visiting the flood-affected people of Pakistan, who are facing devastation and destruction due to negative impact of the climate change. Shehbaz Sharif has assured UN Secretary General that every single penny of the financial aid received by Pakistan from UN and through UN will be spent in most transparent way and for the benefit of suffering humanity.
Meanwhile UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has stressed that there is an obligation on international community to massively support Pakistan to meet the challenge posed by devastating floods.
He made the remarks during a visit along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to National Flood Response and Coordination Center in Islamabad on Friday where he was given a detailed briefing about the flood situation and rescue and relief activities in the affected areas.
The UN Secretary General said Pakistan has little contribution to global emissions but it is one of the most vulnerable hotspots to climate change. He said the developed countries should drastically reduce emissions and support countries that need to invest in resilience and recovery as is the case in Pakistan.
Commending the generosity of Pakistani towards Afghan refugees, Antonio Guterres said Pakistan is a country in his heart.
Expressing solidarity with the flood victims, the UN Secretary General said he will do his best to raise awareness in the international community about the current situation in Pakistan and to mobilize the full UN system in support of the country.
The UN Secretary General was also appreciative of the rescue and relief activities being carried out in the flood ravaged areas.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his gratitude to the UN Secretary General for his message of empathy and support for the people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister said the federal and provincial governments and all stakeholders including the armed forces are working together to provide relief and rescue to thirty three million affected people. He said our rescue and relief efforts are in full gear and the people have been moved to safe places. He said food and shelter are being offered but the challenge is huge. He thanked different countries and organizations for extending support to Pakistan in this difficult hour.
Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s floods are a glaring manifestation of climate change and it is high time to take notice of the situation.
The Prime Minister said we will soon be entering the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. He said Pakistan is doing its best with its meager resources but the country will require sufficient support to repair the damaged infrastructure. He said we have an iron resolve to overcome the challenge but we need international support in this regard.
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry said damage assessment studies in the flood hit areas will soon be completed.
Alluding to the devastation caused by the floods, the Minister for Planning and Development said the floods have also affected our economic growth. Ahsan Iqbal said we are also working simultaneously to prepare a plan to build a resilient infrastructure.
Coordinator National Flood Response and Coordination Center Major General Zafar Iqbal gave a detailed briefing to the UN Secretary General about the flood situation and the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.
Earlier on Friday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reached Pakistan on a 2-day solidarity visit amidst the catastrophic situation caused by floods in Pakistan. He was received at Islamabad International Airport by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Hina Rabbani Khar.