UN chief asks world for massive help in flood-hit Pakistan

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the world for help for cash-strapped Pakistan after arriving in the country on Friday to see the climate-induced devastation from months of deadly record floods.

His trip comes less than two weeks after Guterres appealed for $160 million in emergency funding to help those affected by the monsoon rains and floods that have caused at least $10 billion in damages and 1,391 deaths. International aid is arriving, including the first planeload of what the US has pledged will be $30 million in assistance.

“I have arrived in Pakistan to express my deep solidarity with the Pakistani people after the devastating floods here. I appeal for massive support from the international community as Pakistan responds to this climate catastrophe,” he said on Twitter before dawn.

Last week, the UN chief issued a stern warning about the effects of climate change.

“Let’s stop sleepwalking toward the destruction of our planet by climate change,” he said in a video message to a ceremony in Islamabad at the time. “Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”

Hours after arriving, he met with Pakistan-based UN officials to discuss the flood response. According to the United Nations, Guterres discussed the flood response and “stressed that we need to do everything we can for the people of Pakistan.”

Pakistani Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb in a statement thanked the UN chief for visiting Pakistan at a time when, she said, one-third of Pakistan is underwater.

“These devastating floods are a direct result of climate stress. We hope the UN SG’s visit will help highlight to the world how Pakistan is one of the top 10 vulnerable countries globally despite contributing less than 1 per cent of global emissions,” Aurangzeb wrote on Twitter, as Guterres met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Guterres also received a briefing from Pakistani officials about damages caused by floods.

So far, UN agencies and several countries have sent nearly 60 planeloads of aid, and authorities say the UAE is one of the most generous contributors, as it has sent so far 26 flights carrying aid for flood victims. The United States said it will provide $30 million in assistance to help flood victims.

Alsoon Friday, Usaid Administrator Samantha Power met with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad.

The floods have touched all of Pakistan and affected more than 3.3 million people. Heritage sites have also been damaged, including Mohenjo Daro, considered one of the best-preserved ancient urban settlements in South Asia.

The ruins near the Indus River were discovered in 1922. Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of the civilization that dates back 4,500 years, coinciding with those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Mohenjo Daro is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the UN heritage agency on Thursday announced an emergency amount of $350,000 to help recover flood-damaged cultural heritage sites.

Earlier, Guterres was received on his arrival by Deputy Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

Before the UN chief’s arrival, Sharif told a visiting American diplomat that the world should step up its fight against climate change to avoid more deadly flooding. Derek Chollet, a senior State Department official, was visiting Islamabad to assess damages and arrange for aid.

According to the government’s statement, Chollet affirmed that the US would stand by Pakistan in the wake of the floods and extend help to help people rebuild.

On Friday, the first American planeload carrying aid will arrive in Pakistan, according to Pakistan officials, who say Washington is setting up a humanitarian aid air bridge to deliver much-needed for flood victims,

The floods in Pakistan have also injured 12,722 people, destroyed thousands of kilometres of roads, toppled bridges and damaged schools and hospitals, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

• Pakistan