UN chief lands in Pakistan to take stock of the floods situation

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 9 (ANI): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday landed in Pakistan on a two-day visit to take stock of the floods related situation and express solidarity with the country’s people hit by extreme monsoon rain.
“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,” the UN chief tweeted.
The UN chief 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, an official statement read.
Guterres will travel to areas most impacted by the climate catastrophe in Pakistan. He 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.
According to the statement, the Secretary-General’s visit will further raise global awareness about the massive scale of this calamity and the resulting loss of life and widespread devastation.
It will contribute towards enhancing commensurate and coordinated international response to the humanitarian and other needs of the 33 million affected Pakistanis.
In the build-up to this visit, 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.
As Pakistan struggles to deal with the unprecedented floods situation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also warned about the worsening crisis in the country ravaged by the record rains.
“We are following closely and with deep concern the humanitarian crisis currently facing the people of Pakistan as a result of devastating monsoon floods,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, on the floods in Pakistan.
In a press statement issued on September 5, Dr Al-Mandhari said the current scale of damage and destruction due to the floods is like none seen before in Pakistan – a result of long-term global climate change leading to more severe weather conditions.
So far, at least 1,325 people have lost their lives in Pakistan due to floods. (ANI)