Humanitarian assistance for flood response welcomed

Islamabad: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Monday welcomed the United States’ generous new contribution of $2 million in humanitarian assistance for flood response efforts in Pakistan.

This funding will be channelled to areas affected by the monsoon flooding, supporting life-saving activities as well as helping to rebuild community infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and shelters. The announcement comes as the people of Pakistan continue to grapple with the effects of extreme weather due to climate change, with torrential monsoon rains and floods displacing more than 33 million people and causing widespread destruction, damage, and over 1,400 fatalities. Some 81 districts across the country have been affected, over half of which host Afghan refugees. The United States’ contribution demonstrates a continued commitment to solidarity and responsibility sharing with Pakistan, among the world’s largest hosts of refugees.

Emergency relief supplies and tents are being transported from UNHCR’s warehouse in Azakhel village, in Nowshera District. UNHCR handed over emergency relief items to Pakistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority and is supporting the government-led response, alongside other national and international partners, to respond to refugee and host community needs. ©/UNHCR “We are pleased to announce two million dollars in humanitarian assistance to support UNHCR’s flood response, providing lifesaving items to flood-affected Pakistanis and Afghan refugees in three provinces and helping to rebuild communities,” noted US Ambassador Donald Blome.

The additional funding from the United States comes on top of the existing US contribution of $33 million for UNHCR’s planned programmes in 2022, aimed at strengthening livelihoods, boosting the capacity of national education and health facilities in refugee-hosting communities, and supporting the pursuit of solutions for refugees. In response to flooding, UNHCR is on the ground distributing life-saving support in Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and Baluchistan provinces for Afghan refugees and their host communities, while also rushing relief, including emergency shelter, hygiene items, mos­quito nets, solar lanterns and blankets, to flood hit areas in southern Sindh province.