Following a series of devastating floods, the need for humanitarian aid in Pakistan is enormous – and finally, donors are stepping up to help.
According to the United Nations, nearly $228 million in emergency aid has been donated by governments and humanitarian aid organizations and another $42 million has been pledged. After Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry traveled to the country, the United States announced that it was increasing its emergency support to Pakistan from $75 million to $150 million. Additionally, the Asian Development Bank said it would loan Pakistan $2 billion to help the country rebuild.
Even so, the amount is only slightly more than half of what the UN originally requested in its Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan.
"We thank donors for their generosity, and ask them to keep up this accelerated pace of donations," said John Holmes, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also encouraged people to get involved.
"I realize that many countries, including my own, are facing tough economic conditions and very tight budgets," Clinton said at the United Nations General Assembly. "And we’ve also endured an unrelenting stream of disasters this year – from the earthquake in Haiti to the wildfires in Russia. But we must answer the Pakistani request for help."
The UN estimates that the flooding has affected at least one-fifth of the country, claimed as many as 1,600 lives and left 4.6 million citizens homeless. In addition, more than 3.2 million hectares of crops in the provinces of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa and Punjab alone have been destroyed, while at least 200,000 head of livestock have been lost and many more are expected to die without veterinary support.
The number of people who need shelter, medical care and food is only expected to grow, but the UN remains hopeful that the aid will continue.
"The road ahead remains long," Holmes warned. "We should all also be ready for any increase in requirements … Watching this disaster unfold, the world increasingly understands its immense magnitude. I am glad that we now see a more positive response to the calls of the secretary-general and the humanitarian community for increased and faster funding."