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Pakistan needs billions for flood recovery, UN urges

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  • Over $16 billion is needed to help Pakistan recover from floods.
  • Previous appeal for $816 million resulted in less than half amount.
  • To meet needs, PM and UN secretary-general will host international conference.

GENEVA: More than $16 billion is needed to help Pakistan recover from devastating floods that submerged a third of the country last year, and to better resist the impact of climate change, the United Nations said Thursday.

In a bid to meet the towering needs, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host an international conference in Geneva next week.

The one-day event will gather high-level representatives from dozens of countries, including several heads of state and government, who have yet to be named.

While not strictly a pledging conference, UN and Pakistani representatives said Thursday that it aimed to mobilise support as the country deals rebuilds after the massive floods that left more than 1,700 people dead and affected over 30 million others.

“The needs are around $16.3 billion,” Knut Ostby, the UN Development Programme’s representative in Pakistan, told reporters.

Speaking by video from Islamabad, Syed Haider Shah, who heads the UN division in Pakistan’s foreign ministry, said his country hoped to cover half that amount through its own “domestic resources”.

“For the rest, we are looking at the donor support,” he said.

“This is a pivotal moment for the global communities to stand with the people of Pakistan,” said Khalil Hashmi, the country’s UN envoy in Geneva, while stressing that the conference would be the beginning of a multiyear process”.

A previous appeal for $816 million to help the victims of Pakistan’s cataclysmic monsoon floods has so far resulted in less than half that amount.

Yet the situation remains dire months after the monsoon rains ended, with flood waters still not receded in some parts of southern Pakistan.

Millions of people remain displaced, and while many have begun returning home, Ostby noted that they were returning to damaged or destroyed homes and mud-covered fields that cannot be planted.

The number of people facing food insecurity had doubled to 14.6 million, he said.

In Geneva, Pakistan is due to present a document laying out a wide-ranging strategy aimed at a climate-resilient recovery and reconstruction.

Pakistan, with the world’s fifth-largest population, is responsible for just 0.8% of global greenhouse emissions but is also one the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather caused by climate change.

“What is unique about this conference is that it is both mobilising support for the immediate response to the disaster… but it also comes at a time where the world is realising that this is a global issue,” Ostby said.

“It has to be tackled with global solidarity.”

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Using the Most Recent Technology. Water Resources Receive 12.2% Of PSDP: Ahsan Iqbal

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In order to solve the problems of food insecurity and water scarcity, Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal has underlined the significance of implementing cutting-edge technologies.

He described climate change as Pakistan’s greatest problem when speaking at a conference in Islamabad, stating that the gravity of the situation necessitates that we put aside political diversion.

According to him, despite having the smallest carbon footprint in the world, Pakistan is nonetheless affected by climate catastrophes.

Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the government’s efforts to tackle the various issues facing the nation’s irrigation system, stating that in spite of economic difficulties, 12.2 percent of the PSDP was devoted to water resources in the current fiscal year.

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Meeting of the Judicial Commission: Set for November 5th under CJ Yahya Afridi

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A meeting of the Judicial Commission has been called by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi for tomorrow.

The appointment of judges to the Constitutional Benches and the creation of the Commission’s Secretariat will be the main items on the agenda.

Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Muneeb Akhtar, and Amin-ud-Din will be present, along with important government representatives Attorney General Mansoor Usman and Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar.

PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek, PML-N Leader Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, and PTI Leaders Omar Ayub Khan and Shibli Faraz will all provide political representation.

Additionally, Roshan Khursheed, a woman member, will attend the meeting.

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Shehbaz Sharif said that promoting foreign investment is his top priority.

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According to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government’s top objective is to encourage foreign investment in the nation.

He spoke to a group of well-known and powerful British businessmen in Lahore who were led by Zuber Issa.

Among the delegation were prominent members of the UK business community.

The Prime Minister claimed that the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s one-window operation offers the greatest benefits to the business and trading sector.

He claimed that because of the government’s efforts, the nation’s economy has been growing recently, which has increased investor confidence.

The team was urged by the prime minister to make investments in Pakistan.

Additionally, opinions were shared regarding the investigation of new cooperation opportunities and the improvement of business-to-business ties between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

The group affirmed their belief in the stability and long-term growth of the national economy while applauding the prime minister’s economic initiatives.

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