ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Nations are holding a major conference in Geneva today (Monday) aimed at marshaling support to rebuild the country after devastating floods in what is expected to be a major test case for who pays for climate disasters.
Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers last September displaced some 8 million people and killed at least 1,700 in a catastrophe blamed on climate change.
Most of the waters have now receded but the reconstruction work, estimated at around $16.3 billion, to rebuild millions of homes and thousands of kilometers of roads and railway is just beginning and millions more people may slide into poverty.
Islamabad, whose delegation is led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will present a recovery “framework” at the conference where United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron are also due to speak.
Guterres, who visited Pakistan in September, has previously described the destruction in the country as “climate carnage.”
“This is a pivotal moment for the global community to stand with Pakistan and to commit to a resilient and inclusive recovery from these devastating floods,” said Knut Ostby, United Nations’ Development Programme’s Pakistan Representative.
Read more: Pakistan to present flood rehabilitation plan at Geneva moot today
