The United Nations and the Pakistani government will formally appeal to the UN tomorrow, Tuesday, for a donation of $160 million to fund emergency aid in Pakistan, which was swept by unprecedented floods, the representative of the UN secretary general announced today.
Tens of millions Pakistanis are battling to cope with the worst monsoon rains in three decades, which have killed 1,136 people, washed away countless homes and destroyed vital farmland affecting 33 million people.
And “the situation is expected to worsen as the rains continueStefan Dujarric, spokesman for Antonio Guterres, said in a press briefing.
In this context, “together with the government, we foresee an urgent appeal for 160 million dollars for emergency aid activities”, he said, clarifying that this will be done tomorrow.
The UN has already mobilized $7 million, mostly by redirecting money from other programs to fund the most urgent needs, “food, water, medical supplies, maternal health, shelter…“, he clarified. And an additional 3 million released from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail announced that his country would consider importing vegetables from its number one rival, India, to mitigate the effects of the floods as food prices have risen sharply.
“We can consider importing vegetables from India”the minister told the local network Geo News TV according to the Athens News Agency.
Turkey and Iran could also be other options, he said.
The UN mobilization was announced as the International Monetary Fund approved the restart of a bailout loan for Pakistan, as a third of the country faces the worst monsoon rains and is already plagued by a severe economic crisis, the finance minister said.
“We are expected to receive the 7th tranche and 8th tranche of $1.7 billion,” Miftah Ismail said in a message on Twitter.
Many anti-people measures have been decided in recent months by the government of Shabaz Sharif that came to power in April. Among them, increasing energy prices by more than 50% and introducing a surtax on corporate profits.
Islamabad has currently received $3 billion under this loan program and wants it extended until June 2023.
Source: News Beast
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