New York: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, during which the UN Chief assured Pakistan of its continued support.
During the meeting, the PM appreciated the Secretary-General’s timely visit to Pakistan, affirming strong solidarity with Pakistan in the wake of the climate-induced catastrophic floods.
PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres on the sidelines of #UNGA77 #PMPakatUNGA
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) September 22, 2022
The Prime Minister also emphasized Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climatic changes despite its minimal contribution to global carbon emissions.
‘Today it’s Pakistan, tomorrow it could be any country’: Antonio Guterres
The UN Secretary-General expressed his commitment to doing everything possible to mobilize support for Pakistan. He also told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that he plans to hold a donors’ conference either in New York or somewhere in Europe to raise funds for Pakistan’s flood victims.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of #UNGA77. pic.twitter.com/ulPctm2sJ6
— PMLN (@pmln_org) September 22, 2022
Following the meeting, PM Shehbaz attended a photo exhibition with the UN Global Communication head in the UN HQ.
The PM said that these photos tell a tale of misery, pain, and anguish that 33 million people of Pakistan are experiencing for no fault of theirs.
“Our story needs a sympathetic hearing,” he added.
Attended a photo exhibition a little earlier with UN Global Communication head in the UN HQ. These photos tell a tale of misery, pain & anguish that 33 million people of Pakistan are experiencing for no fault of theirs. Our story needs a sympathetic hearing. pic.twitter.com/48OIPgbrov
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 22, 2022
Talking to the media after inaugurating the exhibition, PM Shehbaz said he would urge the international community to “come forward” and help Pakistan “deal with this disaster”.
“The devastation is so huge: more than a million houses destroyed, four million acres of crops lost, about 900,000 livestocks washed away and thousands of kilometres of road destroyed,” he added.
The prime minister said that according to one estimate, the floods had caused a loss of at least 30 billion dollars to the national economy. He said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “has become our voice. I met him today and thanked him for raising the voice of the suffering of Pakistan’s flood-hit people on the international stage”, he said.
