WASHINGTON: Pakistan has been assured by the United States that it will continue to support Islamabad’s efforts to improve its economy and deal with the devastating floods of last year.
At a news briefing on Monday afternoon, State Department spokesperson Ned Price also urged Pakistan to continue the economic reforms it promised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) while stating that the United States support for Islamabad was not contingent.
Additionally, he announced an additional $100 million in funding for recovery and reconstruction, bringing the US contribution to Pakistan’s relief funds to more than $200 million.
However, when a journalist inquired about the condition of this aid on Pakistan’s continued economic reforms, the US official responded, The IMF will ultimately make this decision, but naturally, we want Pakistan to continue reforming.
Read: Pakistan expects a “lifeline” from the IMF after generous donors pledge funds
A conference to encourage the international community to assist Pakistan in raising funds for a $16 billion relief and reconstruction fund was co-hosted by the United Nations on Monday in Geneva. At the conference, almost $10 billion was pledged.
In his address to the conference, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for sweeping changes to be made to the global financial system in order to assist Pakistan in coping with the devastation brought on by the deadly floods.
Mr. Price also stressed the importance of supporting efforts to rebuild a Pakistan that is resilient to climate change at the State Department briefing.
We want to work together. He elaborated, “We will continue to be a partner to Pakistan when it comes to all of their priorities, whether it be economic in this instance, humanitarian in the case of the provision of additional funding for the flood relief, or security in the case of the security of their borders.”
He mentioned that the US government and Pakistan had collaborated closely since the devastating floods of last year to provide funding for flood response, food security, disaster preparedness, and capacity-building efforts. He stated that the new funding of $100 million would be utilized for flood governance and protection, disease surveillance, economic expansion, clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, food security, and infrastructure reconstruction.
#Pakistan has secured total pledges of $10.57 billion from multilateral and bilateral creditors for reconstruction in #flood-affected areas in Pakistan during the International Conference on Climate Resistant Pakistan held in #Geneva on Monday.@CMShehbaz @BBhuttoZardari
— Strategic Research Institute (@SRI_org) January 10, 2023
Humanitarian aid to support flood relief and recovery efforts in refugee-hosting regions is also included in the funding.
According to Mr. Price, “our flood-related assistance complements our larger efforts to form a US-Pakistan Green Alliance that looks at the range of climate and resilience issues that are central to Pakistan’s reconstruction.”
He stated, “In the months and years to come, Pakistan’s recovery and reconstruction will be a continuing process, and we will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to build a more climate-resilient future for its people.”
More than 33 million people were affected by the flooding in Sindh and Balochistan, widely regarded as Pakistan’s greatest climate disaster, according to a UN report released in New York.
The disaster is still far from over for the eight million people who were forced to flee the rising waters, which also resulted in the deaths of more than 1,700 people. The floodwaters have only partially subsided as of this writing.
More than 2.2 million homes, 13% of all health facilities, 4.4 million acres of crops, and more than 8,000 kilometers of vital infrastructure, including approximately 440 bridges, were destroyed.
In Pakistan, the unprecedented monsoon rains that began in June will cost more than $16 billion to help communities that have been affected in every way imaginable, and much more will be needed in the long run.