Geneva, 10 January 2023 (TDI): Pakistan secured over $9 billion in pledges from international financial institutions, donor agencies, and development partners for flood-affected areas’ rehabilitation, recovery, and reconstruction.
The pledges were made during the ‘Climate Resilient Conference,’ co-chaired by Pakistan & United Nations (UN) in Geneva to help in rebuilding Pakistan after the floods.
The major pledges made at the conference, included $4.2 billion from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), $2 billion from the World Bank & $1.5 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Additionally, pledges include $1 billion from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and $1 billion from Saudi Arabia. Some countries that made pledges are China, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Qatar, Azerbaijan & the United States (US).
Remarks by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, spoke at the concluding session of the conference. She said the bilateral and multilateral partners of Pakistan announced commitments totaling more than 9 billion dollars.
According to Khar, further announcements for in-kind support were made by a number of delegations.
In this vein, she stated, “The delegations recalled their assistance to the immediate relief efforts and affirmed their support to the people of Pakistan for a resilient recovery.”
Recalling the recent floods, Khar said, “Since June 2022, a combination of heavy rains and riverine, urban, and flash flooding led to an unprecedented natural disaster in Pakistan. Floods affected 33 million people, with more than 1,730 lives lost.”
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“Estimates suggest that the national poverty rate may increase, pushing an additional 9.1 million people below the poverty line.
Existing health and food insecurities are exacerbated by the disaster, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable.” The State Minister informed.
Khar highlighted that the Government of Pakistan led a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). The World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and the UN agencies provided assistance in its preparation.
Based on the PDNA, the Core Group has supported the Government of Pakistan in developing a Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF).
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Khar concluded by saying that the conference provided an opportunity to secure international support for building Pakistan’s climate resilience.
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