Since mid-June, over 30 million people in Pakistan have been affected by unprecedented rains and devastating floods across the country, leaving 6.4 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. As part of UN-system wide efforts, UNHCR is supporting the government-led response to scale up humanitarian assistance for refugee and host communities affected by the monsoon rains. UNHCR – as the protection sector lead – is coordinating with other partners to mainstream protection, ensure gender sensitive approaches and promote refugee inclusion. UNHCR is also actively engaged in the inter-sectoral coordination of the shelter, WASH, education, health, food and nutrition, and livelihoods response.
While the priority has been to provide relief items to the worst flood-hit areas to address immediate needs, reprioritizing activities for early recovery and rehabilitation is also well underway. In early October, UNHCR released a Supplementary Appeal asking for some $65.8 million to cover the immediate and mid-term needs of floodaffected communities from September 2022 to December 2023. A revised 2022 Floods Response Plan (September 2022 – May 2023) consolidated by UN OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and its partners was launched during the same period appealing for $816 million.
From 26 to 30 October, Ms Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director of External Relations and Deputy Director Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Ms Ellen Hansen, visited Pakistan. During their visit, they met with officials from the Federal Minister for Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), the SAFRON Secretary, Commissioner for Afghan Refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, UN agencies and UNHCR colleagues, the Ambassadors of Belgium, South Korea and Qatar to Pakistan and other key donors, DAFI scholars, as well as flood-affected refugee families in Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) UNHCR Special Advisor on Climate Action, Mr Andrew Harper, and Goodwill Ambassador, Ms Emtithal Mahmoud, participated in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), which kicked off on 6 November in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
UNHCR used this opportunity to call for the inclusion of displaced people and host communities in climate action policy processes and national and legal frameworks, additional financial assistance and greater support for climate adaptation and investment in risk analysis and early warning systems. In his opening remarks, the UN Secretary General, Mr António Guterres, urged delegates to cooperate to deliver concrete action to tackle the climate crisis. His message was echoed by the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Shehbaz Sharif, in a joint press encounter on the margins of COP27. Mr Sharif also led a bloc of more than 100 developing countries vulnerable to climate change calling for climate compensation from rich nations to cover costs disaster-hit nations are unable to avoid or adapt to. Following this, COP27 delegates agreed to establish a landmark ‘loss and damage’ mechanism providing financial assistance to developing countries vulnerable to climate change.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees