Says int’l community demonstrates exemplary compassion for flood victims; EU pledges $93m, Germany $88m, China $100m, IDB $4.2b, WB $2b, Japan $77m, ADB $1.5b, USAID $100m, France $345m, Saudi Arabia $1bn
Pakistan has surpassed its flood aid target of $8 billion as international community demonstrated “exemplary compassion” for flood victims during the first plenary of Geneva conference, said Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier in the day said that Pakistan needs $8 billion from its international partners over the next three years to rebuild the country that is reeling from last year’s devastating floods.
He is co-chairing the International Conference on ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’ along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres which is underway in Geneva.
Officials from some 40 countries as well as private donors and international financial institutions have joined the conference.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who is part of the PM’s delegation, said in a tweet that international community and development partners had demonstrated exemplary compassion for flood victims of Pakistan.
In a tweet, she said that the Islamic Development Bank Group has pledged $4.2 billion at the Geneva moot. She said that World Bank Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser announced $2 billion, responding to PM’s call for concrete action.
“EU pledged $93 million, Germany $88 million, China $100 million, IDB $4.2 billion, WB $2 billion, Japan $77 million, ADB $1.5 billion USAID $100 million, France $345 million, total $8.57 billion,” according to a breakdown provided by the minister.
She added that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank had pledged $1bn. In a subsequent tweet, she added that Saudi Arabia had pledged $1bn for Pakistan’s efforts to rebuild.
Addressing a joint press stakeout with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the prime minister said that considering ‘the gigantic task of resilient recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction of 33 million flood-affected people’, they were looking towards the global support to generate $8 billion to meet the impending challenges.
He expressed the confidence that they would be able to generate close to about $8 billion domestically and also looking towards the international community to contribute with an equal amount to support these measures.
He said in the “Resilient Pakistan” conference, they, in consultations with the friendly countries and global partners, had worked out a comprehensive framework over Pakistan’s resilient recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts with a robust financial mechanism.
Elaborating the large-scale devastation caused by the floods, the prime minister said it had crippled Pakistan’s economy and they with meagre resources could not cope with such a gigantic challenge.
The prime minister thanked the UN, UNDP, World Bank and other financial institutions and friendly countries for their support and assistance to the flood victims.
The prime minister informed that the government of Pakistan had already spent $400 million to provide support to about 2.7 million households whereas another amount of $575 million was spent in cash and kind which was contributed by the friends and countries across the globe.
