Nobel Laureate Malala Yousufzai arrives in Pakistan to visit flood-hit regions

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai landed in Pakistan on Tuesday to visit the flood-hit regions of the country and meet the victims of the catastrophe.

The visit of the nobel laureate comes after a gap of 4 years and it will “help keep international attention focused on the impact of floods in Pakistan and reinforce the need for critical humanitarian aid,” said a statement issued by the non-profit organisation, Malala Fund.

During the visit, Malala will hold meetings with government officials, humanitarian organisations and flood-impacted communities.

‘Second wave of death and destruction’: UN hikes aid appeal five-fold to $816m

Malala met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2022 in order to discuss challenges hindering the education of millions of children across Pakistan due to catastrophic floods.

Disastrous flooding has put a third of Pakistan underwater, displacing eight million people and causing an estimated $30 billion in damages. Moreover, the stagnant water is triggering waterborne diseases. On the other hand, floods have damaged 10% of the health infrastructure of Pakistan, said Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto last week.

On October 9, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution expressing support for Pakistan and strengthening of emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention in the wake of the recent devastating floods.

The resolution was proposed by Pakistan and co-sponsored by 151 countries to demonstrate solidarity with millions of people in Pakistan affected by the recent devastating floods.

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While introducing the resolution, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at UN Munir Akram highlighted that Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, even though its carbon emissions are less than 1% of global emissions.

He also expressed gratitude to all those who provided assistance.

On October 4, the UN revised up its humanitarian appeal for Pakistan five-fold to $816 million from $160 million as it seeks to control a surge in water-borne diseases following the country’s worst floods in decades.

Nearly 1,700 people have been killed in floods caused by heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers in a crisis that the government and the UN have blamed on climate change.

“We are now entering a second wave of death and destruction” Julien Harneis, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan said at a Geneva briefing.

“There will be an increase in child morbidity and it will be pretty terrible unless we act rapidly to support the government in increasing the provision of health, nutrition and water and sanitation services across the affected areas,” he said.