Prime Minister Shehb az Sharif has expressed the hope that the international community would step up its efforts to mitigate the negative consequences of the floods, through active participation in rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.
He was talking to European Commissioner for the Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, who called on him on Tuesday. The European Commissioner for Crisis Management has announced to substantially scale up its financial assistance to PKR 6.7 billion (€30 million) to the flood-affected people in Pakistan.
The new funding aims to address the most urgent needs, such as basic shelters, clean drinking water and sanitation, food and nutrition, and medical services.
The actions funded by the European Union would ensure that women, children, and other vulnerable people are protected from further harm and that children have access to education again as quickly as possible. Cash assistance would enable people to cover their basic needs and rebuild their homes and livelihoods. Given the scale of the crisis, the psychological impact on flood victims would also be taken into account, it added. During the visit to flood-hit areas the Commissioner said: “People in Pakistan are suffering the devastating consequences of an unprecedented flooding emergency. Our thoughts are with those who lost family members, friends, and their homes. What is more, many livelihoods have been lost.
With this new funding, the EU reaffirms its continued support to Pakistan and stands by the most vulnerable to help them fulfill basic needs. Once again, however, nature reminded us of the impact of global warming. Mainstreaming disaster preparedness and prevention in EU-funded projects will therefore remain our top priority within the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
