PM Shehbaz meets Bill Gates on UNGA sidelines

NEW YORK, Sep 22 (SABAH) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Shehbaz Sharif is visiting New York to attend 77th session of the UN General Assembly, where he would highlight the devastation caused by floods in the country.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an online meeting of the authorities concerned to review the pace of various flood relief and rehabilitation activities in the flood-hit areas across Pakistan.

During the meeting, he said that he had urged the world leaders to support Pakistan in mitigating losses incurred by floods.

Expressing his views, the prime minister apprised that, he held useful meetings with the President of World Bank and the Managing Director International Monetary Fund and comprehensively discussed the flood situation in Pakistan.

They have expressed their grief over the losses and assured to extend all possible help and support to Pakistan, PM Shehbaz Sharif added.

The prime minister said that he had cautioned that millions of vulnerable children were deprived of essential food items and could fall ill with diseases like diarrhoea.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said due to widespread devastation caused by floods, the people in Pakistan could not face the challenge alone with their limited resources, and urged the world community, international organizations like World Bank and IMF and other friendly countries to support them and provide the flood victims the much needed relief.