Pakistan flood recovery funds lag far behind goal, UN chief says

Floods in 2022 killed more than 1,700 people, destroyed more than 2 million homes, and caused damage worth more than $30bn

Flooded streets during heavy rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, on September 19, 2023. EPA

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the international community to promptly deliver pledged funds to assist flood-affected families in Pakistan.

Addressing an informal General Assembly gathering on Wednesday, the UN leader warned that Pakistan is facing a dual challenge of tackling the effects of climate change while dealing with what he called an outdated and unjust global financial system that hurts middle-income countries seeking resources to adapt.

Flooding in 2022 killed more than 1,700 people, destroyed more than 2 million homes and caused damage worth more than $30 billion, according to the UN.

Nearly a third of the country was under water after “apocalyptic flooding”.

“While much of the water has receded, the needs have not,” Mr Guterres said.

His remarks come months after the UN and Pakistan co-hosted a special conference in Geneva aimed at gathering funds for reconstruction.

Dozens of countries and international institutions pledged more than $9 billion in January to help Pakistan recover and rebuild after the floods, which environmentalists and scientists blamed on climate change.

Pakistan required $16.3 billion but only 69 per cent of the amount has been secured.

“Billions were pledged but the vast majority was in loans," Mr Guterres said. "Pakistan is still waiting for much of the funding, and delays are undermining people’s efforts to rebuild their lives."

Pakistan plays a negligible role in global warming and emits less than one per cent of greenhouse gases, he said.

Mr Guterres warned that climate chaos is “knocking on everyone’s door” and is beating those doors down, from Libya to the Horn of Africa, China, Canada and beyond.

“Pakistan is a chronicle of climate chaos foretold,” he said.

Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, said the disaster was a “stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of unchecked climate change”.

“Climate change is entrenching inequalities, within and among nations, with vulnerable populations being systematically hit first and hardest," Mr Francis said.

"In Pakistan, a full year later, millions of children still require humanitarian aid and access to basic services."