UN Secretary-Gen Antonio Guterres to visit Pakistan to express solidarity with flood-hit people

Pakistan has been struggling with the worst floods in the last 30 years that have killed nearly 1,350 people in the country and inundated about a third of Pakistan since early June

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Reuters file

PTI

Islamabad, September 8

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will on Friday visit Pakistan to express solidarity with the government and the people of the country who are currently braving a colossal climate-induced natural disaster caused by unprecedented rains and floods, said a statement on Thursday.

During the two-day visit, Secretary General Guterres will have meetings with the Pakistani leadership and senior officials to exchange views on the national and global response to this catastrophe caused by climate change, a Foreign Office statement said.

The Secretary-General will travel to areas most impacted by the climate catastrophe and will interact with displaced families and first responders in the field, and oversee the UN’s humanitarian response work in support of the government’s rescue and relief efforts for millions of affected people.

The Foreign Office said that his visit would further raise global awareness about the massive scale of this calamity and the resulting loss of life as well as widespread devastation.

The FO said the visit would contribute towards enhancing commensurate and coordinated international response to the humanitarian and other needs of the 33 million affected Pakistanis.

The Secretary-General actively supported the USD 160 million UN “Flash Appeal” to fund Pakistan’s Flood Response Plan and contributed a powerful video message at its launch event held simultaneously in Islamabad and Geneva on August 30.

The UNSG has been consistently stressing the linkage of such disasters with the impacts of climate change and warning the international community about the existential threat to our planet in case climate change was not addressed in a timely and effective manner.

The Secretary General’s visit will also spotlight the importance of sustained international support for Pakistan through the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase, and for building resilience against future climate shocks, according to the FO.

Pakistan has been struggling with the worst floods in the last 30 years that have killed nearly 1,350 people in the country and inundated about a third of Pakistan since early June.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for a “sustainable system” to cope with the challenges of climate change, which is seen as the primary reason that triggered unprecedented rains and floods.

The government has estimated that the calamity caused losses of more than USD 10 billion and it would take the country years to rebuild after the devastation.