At an international meeting on Monday, Pakistan raised $9 billion—one billion more than it had asked for—in order to help the country recover from last year’s disastrous floods.
The commitments were made as the Geneva-based International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan got underway. The summit was co-hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The aim of the day-long moot, which was attended by heads of state and government as well as other stakeholders, was to mobilize international aid for the rehabilitation of the mega flood-affected populace and the climate-resilient reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.
In order to reconstruct Pakistan over the next three years, Prime Minister Shehbaz requested $8 billion from Pakistan’s international allies during the summit, and Guterres called for a lot more help.
Before the conference’s pledging portion had started, hundreds of millions of dollars were pledged, showing that participants appeared to have heeded PM Shehbaz’s appeal.
A day’s end conclusion report stated that delegations recalled their support for emergency relief efforts and reaffirmed their commitment to Pakistan’s people for a strong recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
The paper stated that delegations expressed their solidarity and pledged financial help to the ongoing humanitarian efforts as well as the realization of the goals and priority areas established in the recovery plan.
These commitments, which came from both bilateral and multilateral partners, together totaled more than $9 billion. Several delegations made additional in-kind assistance declarations, it said.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar stated that promises totaled “more than $9bn” at the conference’s conclusion.
“Today has been a day that offers us a lot of hope, in truth. The world is sending a clear message: We will support individuals who experience natural disasters and won’t abandon them, she said.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, the information minister, had earlier claimed that the conference’s opening plenary had resulted in a “generous outpouring” from the world community.
She posted on Twitter, “The European Union contributed $93 million, Germany $88 million, China $100 million, Islamic Development Bank $4.2 billion, World Bank $2 billion, Japan $77 million, Asian Development Bank $1.5 billion, USAID $100 million, and France $345 million.”
As the second plenary of the climate conference began, the minister said the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) had pledged $1bn.
