United Nations Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres will travel to Pakistan next week on a \u201csolidarity visit\u201d and meet people impacted by the \u201chistoric floods\u201d that have hit the country this year, according to a statement issued by the international body on Tuesday.
\n\u201cHe is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday, September 9, and travel to the areas most impacted by this unprecedented climate catastrophe,\u201d it said.
\n\u201cThe Secretary-General will meet with displaced families and also witness how we are working, in collaboration with our humanitarian partners, to support the government\u2019s relief efforts and provide assistance to millions of people.\u201d
\nThe UN statement added that Guterres was expected back in New York on September 11.
\nThe development was welcomed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.
\n\u201cThis is going to be significant and will contribute in a big way our collective effort to highlight the impact of this disaster and to utilise this visit by UNSG to further mobilise international assistance,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan would be looking forward to welcoming the secretary general.<\/p>\n
The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids. More than 1000 people have been killed – with millions more lives shattered. This colossal crisis requires urgent, collective action to help the Government & people of Pakistan in their hour of need. pic.twitter.com\/aVFFy4Irwa
\n\u2014 Ant\u00f3nio Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 30, 2022
\nThe catastrophic floods in Pakistan have killed more than 1,100 people, destroyed infrastructure and crops, and affected 33 million people.
\nEarlier in the day, the UN and the Pakistani government issued a flash appeal for $160m to help the country cope with the disaster. The funds will provide 5.2m people with food, water, sanitation, emergency education, protection and health support.
\nIn a video message played at the Foreign Office today, the UN chief called the flooding a \u201ccolossal crisis\u201d.
\n\u201cPakistan is awash in suffering. The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids \u2014 the relentless impact of epochal levels of rain and flooding,\u201d Guterres said.
\nHe branded the floods a \u201cclimate catastrophe\u201d, saying South Asia was one of the world\u2019s climate crisis hotspots. \u201cPeople living in these hotspots are 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts,\u201d the UN secretary-general said.
\n\u201cAs we continue to see more and more extreme weather events around the world, it is outrageous that climate action is being put on the back burner as global emissions of greenhouse gases are still rising, putting all of us \u2014 everywhere \u2014 in growing danger,\u201d he added.
\nLater, in a tweet, he urged the world to \u201cstop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change\u201d.
\n\u201cToday, it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country,\u201d Guterres added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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