Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has praised the United Nations development system, especially its Resident Coordinator’s office in Islamabad, for their crucial role in supporting Pakistan’s national efforts to respond and recover from the “dire situation” left behind by last August’s devastating floods.
“The Resident Coordinator’s Office was our go-to place for coordinating UN response to catastrophic floods,” he said in a video message to a roundtable discussion held at UN Headquarters in New York on the case study regarding the “coordinated and comprehensive response to Pakistan’s floods in 2022?.
The foreign minister said the Resident Coordinator’s role “significantly streamlined” coordination effort for the Government, and ensured smooth exchange of information among all partners on the country’s emergency situation.
He expressed his appreciation to the Resident Coordinator, Julien Harneis, and his able team for helping Pakistan to launch the flash appeal in a timely manner, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his extraordinary support and his solidarity visit to Pakistan, in the wake of the floods.
“The Resident Coordinator played a central role in closely coordinating the organization of the international relief and recovery assistance, especially through timely communications with the federal and provincial departments, multilateral agencies, and bilateral donors,” FM Bilawal said.
