Joining him at the press conference, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said his country needs $8 billion from its international allies in the next three years to recover from the devastating floods.
“I have never seen in my life this kind of devastation that not only crippled our economy, but posed a challenge that Pakistan could not bear alone,” he said, with economic losses reaching $30 billion.
Mr. Sharif emphasized that the funding would be spent “in the most transparent manner” and added, “I have put in place third party verification mechanisms, so that every penny is counted and invested for the benefit of the needy and helpless people who have been severely affected by these massive floods.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, explained why his country needs international solidarity now more than ever: “We must restore the future to the 33 million people who were severely affected by the floods. Their families must rise up and return to life and earn their livelihood.”
Supporting countries affected by natural disasters makes sense, said the Federal Adviser for Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, the host country of the conference, Ignazio Cassis. “Today, you in Pakistan need help, but tomorrow, all of us [who need help] may be there. One thing is certain: none of us are safe. We are all concerned about climate change, a global threat that requires a global response.”
Echoing this call for solidarity between nations, French President Emmanuel Macron joined the conference via video link to announce that France has pledged €360 million “to respond to the challenge of rebuilding climate resilience.” But the French president also noted that only 30 per cent of the UN’s emergency funding appeals have been submitted, just as temperatures are dropping with the onset of winter.
For his part, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner highlighted the magnitude of the global threat posed by climate change and the importance of the need to find financing for the adaptation of developing countries, and said: “Look to the east, in Australia there are massive floods; look to the west, in “California is having extreme weather patterns, and look at Europe, people are wondering what happened to the snow in the winter. We live in very changing times.”
“Words are not enough”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Secretary-General said he had seen the resilience that was the focus of the conference “time and time again from the women and men of Pakistan” who have endured “the ravages of natural disasters and terrorism” and supported the millions of Afghan refugees currently living in their country.
Mr. Guterres said he was “extremely disappointed that world leaders are not giving this life and death emergency the work and investment it requires, because words are not enough. Without action, climate catastrophe will come upon all of us.”
