(adds citation)
GENEVA (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday called for a massive $16 billion aid to rebuild Pakistan after devastating floods, as the country battled climate turmoil. He said he was a victim of the global financial system.
Officials, private donors and international financial institutions from some 40 countries are coming to Geneva as Islamabad seeks support for what is expected to be a major test case for who pays for climate disasters. are gathering for a meeting in
The September floods are still abating, killing at least 1,700 people and displacing about 8 million.
“The heroic response of the Pakistani people must be combined with our own efforts and massive investments to strengthen our communities for the future,” Guterres said in his opening remarks.
“Pakistan has suffered the double damage of climate turmoil and a morally bankrupt global financial system,” he added, suggesting creative ways for developing countries to access debt relief and financing. I asked
Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif has called for and said he needs a new “coalition of the willing” to provide a lifeline to the country.
$8 billion
for the next three years.
French President Emmanuel Macron promised an additional $10 million in aid in a video message. (Emma Farge, her Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva, reporting by his Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, edited by Ed Osmond)