In order to assist Pakistan in rebuilding after last year’s terrible floods, donors at an international meeting in Geneva, according to Pakistan, have promised to donate more than $9 billion.
Pakistan is holding the event with the UN on Monday in Geneva as it looks for international help to pay for roughly half of a total $16.3 billion recovery bill.
The one-day summit, which was attended by representatives from over 40 other nations as well as private donors and international financial institutions, was inaugurated by the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres.
According to the UN, more than 33 million Pakistanis were affected by the enormous floods brought on by melting glaciers and record monsoon rains last year, which resulted in more than 1,700 fatalities and approximately nine million additional people falling into poverty.
In Sindh and Balochistan, the two worst-affected provinces, thousands of people are still living in open spaces, tents, and improvised homes, and there is still stagnant water in many places.
Hina Rabbani Khar, the deputy foreign minister of Pakistan, stated that the final total exceeded the goal set by the international community.
She said, “Taken together, these commitments amount to more than $9 billion and from what we know so far, these are all additional commitments over and above what was already given in terms of humanitarian assistance, etc., from both bilateral and multilateral partners.” She also noted that several delegations had also provided in-kind assistance.
Earlier, Guterres lauded Pakistan and its people for their “heroic humanity” in the face of “this immense catastrophe.”
In order to improve their communities for the future, he stated, “We must match the heroic response of the people of Pakistan with our own efforts and significant investments.”
The UN head continued, “Pakistan is doubly victimized by climate disaster and a morally corrupt global financial system.” “No nation should have to go through what Pakistan did.”
In his speech to the conference earlier on Monday, Sharif urged the international community to form a “new coalition of the willing,” one that could “save lives and put them on a path to responsible global citizenship.”
He said that his administration required at least $8 billion from foreign donors over the following three years to reconstruct the country, saying that “today’s conference is an attempt to offer my people another chance to get back on their feet.”
We are in a race against time, he declared.
Friday, Sharif wrote in an editorial for the British publication The Guardian that Pakistan “just cannot do this alone.”
“These flooded places now resemble a sizable network of perpetual lakes, permanently altering the landscape and the lives of those who live there. No number of pumps will be able to get rid of this water in under a year, and by July 2023, there is concern that these places may flood once more, the author said.
Pakistan is one of the top 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change, while producing less than 1% of global emissions, according to the Global Climate Risk Index.
The “Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF)” plan to garner international funding and a means of constructing long-term climate resilience and adaptation to climate change in Pakistan, according to Islamabad, are the two main goals of the Geneva meeting.
The goal is to gain international support for the 4RF, which includes institutional, financial, and implementation frameworks for post-flood recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction, according to Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN office in Geneva. The conference will assist us in creating long-term alliances to improve Pakistan’s capacity for climate adaptation and resilience.
With assistance from the UN and other international organizations, Pakistan issued a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report last year that estimated the nation would require $16.3 billion to reconstruct its infrastructure and economy and appealed for assistance from around the world.
According to the UN, just $262 million, or 32% of the requested $816 million in urgent financing for Pakistan, was received in December.
The floods occurred as Pakistan was experiencing a severe economic crisis, with its foreign reserves last month falling to less than $6 billion, or about one month’s worth of imports.
In order to support its ailing economy and avert a default, Pakistan is also looking for quick financial support from the International Monetary Fund as well as from friendly nations like Saudi Arabia and China.
Climate change analyst Ali Tauqeer Sheikh of Islamabad stated that he did not anticipate any significant pledges from other countries and organizations at the Geneva summit.
Given the amount of attendees, he added, “I don’t think anyone will offer an open checkbook to Pakistan, but I am sure they will make some pledges and show some action.”
“This summit can be characterized as a short-term success if Pakistan manages to garner promises of more than $1 billion.”
