ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday underscored the need for comprehensive plans to equip people in the country to with skills and knowledge to survive floods disaster and cope with impacts of climate change in future.
In her virtual address from Islamabad to the event on an upscale UN Flash Appeal for Pakistan floods held in Geneva, she said it was the collective responsibility of Pakistan and the world to provide assistance to the people affected by the country’s massive flash floods.
Khar said as humans, it was a moral obligation upon all to come together to address the needs of people in distress.
She mentioned the ‘resilience and endurance’ of the people in the flood-hit areas and said that efforts needed to be converged on their rehabilitation.
The flash appeal was jointly launched by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations (UN) on the basis of an updated on-ground needs assessment of the flood situation.
The ministerial-level participation from the Government of Pakistan included Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman, attending the event in person in Geneva, and Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar who participated virtually from Islamabad.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths and Director General World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus represented the UN, along with Resident Coordinator in Pakistan Julien Harneis.
The meeting was attended by UN member states as well as various UN agencies and humanitarian organizations working in the area of disaster relief.
The Foreign Office earlier in a statement said the Floods Response Plan had been prepared in close coordination between the government of Pakistan and the United Nations and focuses on providing necessary assistance to the vulnerable people affected by the unprecedented floods. It complements the government’s overall response to the recent climate-induced floods in Pakistan.
