United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged the international community to support flood-hit Pakistan as the country needed massive financial help to overcome post-flood crises.
“It is not a matter of generosity, but a matter of justice,” he said reiterating the UN’s commitment, strong support and solidarity with the flood-affected populace of Pakistan.
Guterres said that huge damages and losses were caused to human lives and properties.
The UN absolutely supported the Pakistani nation and requested the well-resourced nations to support the country massively, so that it could face the future challenges of climatic changes and save its nation.
Read more: Flood-related economic losses escalate from $10bn to $12.5 bn
He stressed that the international community must realize the serious impacts of greenhouse emissions as nature was striking back in the form of natural calamities.
The issue of greenhouse gases had accelerated the climatic changes and the nations having larger greenhouse emissions footprints must understand these issues, he added.
Pakistan and other developing countries are paying a horrific price for the intransigence of big emitters that continue to bet on fossil fuels.
From Islamabad, I am issuing a global appeal:
Stop the madness.
Invest in renewable energy now.
End the war with nature. pic.twitter.com/P0jtVikv1r
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 10, 2022
According to the scientific estimates, the UN secretary-general emphasized that now, it was a time to reduce greenhouse emissions.
He said it was also a fact that they were living in a climatic changing era and have to make efforts to rebuild communities and to enable the countries to resist and face the future disasters that could be wrought by the natural calamities.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb provincial ministers and the relevant authorities were present on the occasion.
Read more: UN chief visits Pakistan to increase flood relief efforts
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah gave a detailed briefing over the damages and loss of lives in the province.
He said during the current monsoon season, different districts of the province had received unusual rainfall never witnessed in the past.
He said that 30 districts of the province were affected, displacing about 12 million, adding that a total of 578 people lost their lives. A total of 3 million houses were destroyed and crops grown on an area of about 3.3 million acres were damaged while 500,000 livestock had been swept away.
The chief minister said that Pakistan had been facing the impacts of global warming and climatic changes, adding that they required the international community’s financial support for the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Read more: How can Pakistan avoid floods in the future
Earlier, the prime minister along with UN secretary general and the federal ministers took an aerial review of the flood-affected areas of the Sindh province.
Courtesy: APP