US has announced $100 million in recovery and reconstruction funding for Pakistan
After last year’s devastating floods that killed 1,739 people and affected 33 million people, the United States has announced an additional US$100 million to Pakistan for its recovery and reconstruction efforts. The funding will also include humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery efforts in areas where refugees are living, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Monday.
“I am pleased to share that today the United States announced an additional US$100 million in relief and reconstruction funding, bringing our total contribution to more than US$200 million,” he said. Price said the new $100 million fund will go towards flood protection and management, disease surveillance, economic development and clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, food security and infrastructure reconstruction.
The U.S. flood assistance complements its broader efforts to build the U.S.-Pakistan Green Alliance, which looks at a range of climate and resilience issues central to Pakistan’s reconstruction, the spokesman said. “Pakistan’s recovery and reconstruction will be an ongoing process in the months and years ahead, and we will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to create a more climate-resilient future for its people,” Price said.
Addressing the opening session of the ‘International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan’ in Geneva on Monday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country would need at least US$16.3 billion, half of which is expected to be met by foreigners. Help to reduce financial needs in the next three years.
