Positive response to Pakistan's appeal for help

The international community has responded positively to Pakistan's appeal for help to mitigate sufferings of more than 20 million people who have been affected by devastating floods across the country. The government and its missions abroad have been in the forefront of mobilising the international community for assisting in relief, rescue, and rehabilitation of people affected by the worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history.
There was absolutely no credibility gap nor trust deficit as foreign aid was coming in cash and kind, particularly food, water, medical care. Over 70 countries have already given donations or contributed towards rescue and relief efforts.
The United Nations on August 19, 2010 said that contributions and pledges, totalling $272.4 million (59.3 percent of requirements) have so far been received for planned activities pertaining to Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan (PIFERP), which originally envisaged activities worth $459.7 million for initial 90 days, but the requirement will be revised.
Clusters are now working to insert projects into PIFERP. An updated version of PIFERP, including projects is due to be finalised by August 25. In addition, contributions in the context of PIFERP, which intends to complement national efforts, led by the government, donors have donated or promised at least $255 million directly to the government, Red Crescent, Red Cross and to other organisations for activities of PIFERP, a UN fact sheet said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to the UN member states to deliver promised aid to help Pakistan recover from unprecedented floods, and said the disaster was "a key test of global solidarity. It is a global disaster, a global challenge," he said at ministerial session of the UN General Assembly attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Ban Ki-moon noted that more than half of UN $460 million emergency appeal for Pakistan had been funded. "The UN session was demonstrative of the international community's commitment to act, an opportunity move forward and show to the people and the government of Pakistan that we are ready and willing to assist them in every possible way," said Assembly President Ali Treki. He urged the member states to donate generously in the face of unprecedented humanitarian disaster unfolding in Pakistan. It requires an extraordinary response.
At the session, Hillary Clinton announced a new pledge of $60 million to help Pakistan deal with the massive flooding that has crippled the country. With new pledge, the US will be contributing more than $150 million towards emergency flood relief, she said. About $92 million of that total is in direct support of the UN relief plan providing critical supplies and support operations of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other organisations responding to the crisis.
Clinton said the US is also providing technical assistance and mobilising military and civilian resources to deliver supplies and rescue flood victims. The US government has also set up Pakistan Relief Fund through the State Department for all Americans to join in this tremendous relief, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction effort.
The United Kingdom announced that would it double its contribution to the emergency relief in Pakistan to just under $100 million. British Secretary for International Development Andrew Mitchell told the UN session that he had come directly to New York from Pakistan after seeing for himself the devastation. He said the British government had already made significant commitment of nearly $50 million to the humanitarian response which is helping to provide 1.5 million people with safe drinking water, sanitation supplies, and nutritional support for vulnerable women and children so grievously affected.
The UK had also accelerated a programme to provide new bridges to replace some of those washed away by heavy floods. Moreover, significant contribution was made by the British public through Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal raising nearly 25 million pounds so far for the relief effort.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in his address to the UN session, said the massive upheaval caused by the floods and the colossal losses suffered by millions of Pakistanis must be addressed urgently. What was being confronted in Pakistan today was a natural calamity of unprecedented proportions, he stated.
The European Commission announced an additional euro 30 million in urgent relief assistance for the people affected by massive floods. This announcement comes on top of euro 30 million offered by the EC earlier. In build up to the European Union Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on September 10, the EU member states are expected to come up with a generous European package for the immediate relief, ensure maximum co-ordination of efforts, and start the all important crucial planning for the support of massive reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts which will be required in Pakistan as well as in meeting other long-term economic challenges.
China decided to donate an additional RMB 50 million aid to Pakistan, bringing its total relief aid to more RMB 70 million ($10.29 million). China, a time-tested friend, is one of the few countries, which provided immediate aid to Pakistan in the aftermath of massive floods. The Chinese government, People's Liberation Army and Red Cross Society donated RMB 10 million, RMB 10 million and $50,000 respectively either in material or in cash recently, including food, medicines, goods, fuel, etc.
Chinese diplomats, companies and individuals in Pakistan also made donations. The Japanese government has so far offered up to $14.4 million in aid - a figure that is likely to rise in coming weeks as the scale of disaster becomes more widely appreciated. Japan decided to send six GSDF helicopters to assist in the humanitarian efforts.
Saudi Arabia donated a further $80 million to Pakistan boosting a national campaign collection to 400 million riyals ($106.6 million). King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz ordered the allocation of 300 million riyals on behalf of Saudi people. The kingdom has so far sent 24 planeloads of aid to Pakistan. Saudi Development Bank also allocated $20 million in aid of Pakistan's flood victims.
United Arab Emirates armed forces have stepped up relief operations in Pakistan on the instructions of President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance. A group of Chinook helicopters has been deployed in north-west Pakistan and evacuating people trapped by floods to shelters set up by the government.
President of Bahrain Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Ali Khalifa pleged to donate three million dinar as well as items for relief and rehabilitation of the flood affectees. Algeria donated $1 million and Iranian government also sent huge quantity of relief goods.
The Asian Development Bank would place 100 specialists at the disposal of Pakistan to help in its reconstruction work and the bank's total contribution would be about $2 billion. The World Bank has also pledged $900 million. Canadian government has offered $31 million in aid.
Earlier, Canada had pledged $2 million to Pakistan. Denmark offered 50 million kroner increase in the amount of aid to Pakistan. Denmark will send a total of 60 million kroner in emergency relief aid, in addition to 130 million kroner in development aid funds for year 2010. Finland will donate euros 3.2 million relief grant. Russia donated over 30 million rubles ($1 million) for Pakistan's flood affectees.
The floods which began on July 29, 2010, crippled Pakistan's physical and economic infrastructure with at least 3.2 million hectares of vital agricultural stocks, more than 200,000 herds of livestock and 900,000 homes completely destroyed. The people affected are more than the entire population hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Kashmir earthquake, Cyclone Nargis and the earthquake in Haiti.
The government is doing everything possible, even re-visit the budget and change Pakistan's priorities in order to protect the distressed people, but international assistance was critical to meet the enormous challenge. The government was fully aware of the strategic and political implications of the disaster, but its immediate focus was on protecting the millions of people left homeless by the floods, triggered by torrential monsoon rains. The best way to counter the Taliban attempts to take advantage of the situation was to help the affected people, rebuild their destroyed hearths and homes and eventually restore the health and educational facilities.