ISLAMABAD: The United Nations will launch a revised humanitarian appeal on 4th of October in which additional $600 million will be asked for immediate relief assistance and flood relief support as the first flash appeal with the assistance of $160 million grant was not enough to meet the needs of the affected population.
This was revealed during the 2nd meeting of the Steering Committee for Coordination Regarding International Assistance for Flood Relief Activities chaired by Humair Karim, acting secretary Economic Affairs Division, here on Thursday.
Karim stated that the UN launched flash appeal on 30th August 2022 with the assistance of $160 million grant for flood relief support. Since the devastation is huge, the grant was not enough to meet the needs of the affected population, he added.
The agenda of the meeting was “Mapping of Humanitarian Assistance and Relief Efforts.” The first meeting of the Steering Committee was chaired by the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs on 21st of September.
The meeting was attended by the representatives from the United Nations Development Programme, UNOCHA, Embassies of Turkey and China, British High Commission Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, BISP, Ministry of Food Security, NDMA and senior officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
While highlighting the agenda of the meeting, Karim briefed that the Steering Committee was formulated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan with the purpose to encourage better coordination between the Government of Pakistan and International Development Partners for the effective provision of International Assistance to the flood-affected areas.
During the meeting, the chair requested the joint secretary EAD to briefly present the current status of international assistance coming from international development partners. Islam Zaib, joint secretary EAD presented the flood situation and flood relief assistance coming from donor partners including; World Bank, ADB, USA through USAID, UK through FCDO, JICA, Turkey, China, EU, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, OPEC, UAE, Italy through AICS, New Zealand, Australia Canada, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Norway, Jordan, Austria, Nepal, France, Turkmenistan, Jordan, Russia, Indonesia, Greece and UN Agencies including; UNFPA, WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNHCR, and WFP.
The chair stated that the Government of Pakistan is thankful to the international community for providing humanitarian assistance for the catastrophe faced by the country due to unprecedented rains and flash floods.
During the meeting, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) presented a brief overview of the floods situation in the country and highlighted the method of distributing flood relief goods. The international development partners appreciated the efforts and acknowledged the importance of the platform that would help them coordinate with the government in a more effective manner.
The chair apprised the participants that by 15th of October, the Damage Needs Assistance Report would be ready which will provide the complete picture of the overall damage due to the floods and the actual requirement of flood assistance.
The chair decided to hold a follow-up meeting in about 10 days to continue coordination between government and development partners for flood relief.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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