GENEVA (Reuters) – During an International Conference on Climate Resilience on Monday, Pakistan won over $ 10 billion in commitments from international financial institutions, donor agencies, and development partners for flood-affected regions’ rehabilitation, recovery, and rebuilding.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Saudi Arabia made large promises during the summit, which was co-chaired by Pakistan and the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif headed the Pakistan team to the Geneva meeting, where he detailed Pakistan’s Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Rebuilding Framework (4RF), which outlined a multi-sectoral approach for climate-resilient and inclusive rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The prime minister’s team included Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.
During the conference’s closing session, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan’s bilateral and multilateral partners made pledges totalling more than $9 billion. A number of delegations made further announcements for in-kind contributions, she noted.
She said that throughout the summit, the delegations remembered their help to the immediate relief efforts and reaffirmed their support for the people of Pakistan in their robust recovery, rehabilitation, and rebuilding. They voiced their sympathy and pledged financial assistance for the achievement of the 4RF’s goals and priority areas, as well as continuing humanitarian activities.
According to the minister, a combination of excessive rainfall and riverine, urban, and flash floods has resulted in an unparalleled natural calamity in Pakistan since June 2022. Floods devastated 33 million people, claiming over 1,730 lives, affecting 2 million housing units, and damaging or destroying thousands of schools and hospitals. According to estimates, the national poverty rate may rise, forcing an extra 9.1 million people into poverty. The tragedy exacerbates pre-existing health and food insecurity, disproportionately harming the most vulnerable.
According to the minister, the Government of Pakistan conducted a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) with the assistance of a Core Group of partners comprised of the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, United Nations agencies, and the World Bank Group. The PDNA predicts that the recovery costs will exceed USD 16 billion. The housing, agricultural, and livestock industries, as well as transportation and communication, were the worst hit. Sindh was the most severely hit province, followed by Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab.
The Core Group has assisted the Government of Pakistan in building a Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework based on the PDNA (4RF). According to her, the 4RF offers an overall framework for Pakistan’s resilient recovery, rehabilitation, and rebuilding operations, including planning, funding, executing, and monitoring.
The meeting gave a chance to showcase the 4RF, gain international support, and form long-term collaborations to strengthen Pakistan’s climate resilience and adaptation.