Chinese official calls for continuous support from int’l community in Pakistan’s post-disaster reconstruction

The International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan was jointly held by the United Nations and the Pakistani government on Jan 9, 2023. Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), attended the conference and called for the international community to continue to help Pakistan with its post-disaster reconstruction in a bid to achieve the goals of the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF).

Luo said that the Chinese government and people provided emergency disaster relief supplies, including tents and food, immediately upon the outbreak of the floods in Pakistan last summer, and sent a medical expert team and a disaster evaluation team. On top of that, Luo announced that China will grant another $100 million for reconstruction programs through bilateral channels to support the 4RF, plans to train 1,000 Pakistani technical staff and officials in disaster prevention and management, and is willing to join the International Partners' Support Group.

Noting that the extreme climate was the cause for the floods in Pakistan, Luo said that the international community, especially developed countries, has an obligation to help developing countries, such as Pakistan, in facing such disasters. Developed countries have yet to deliver on their promise of mobilizing $100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries, and to offer a roadmap for doubling adaptation finance. Global climate governance remains an uphill task, he said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the conference. Representatives from 44 countries and international financial institutions attended the conference and pledged to donate $9 billion in total for Pakistan's reconstruction.

Guterres said at the media briefing after the conference that Pakistan is one of the world’s places hit worst by climate change, and the conference was the first step in Pakistan's long-term post-disaster restoration and reconstruction. He reiterated the notion that words are not enough to curb global warming, and concrete actions by all countries, especially developed countries, are needed.

Since June 2022, Pakistan has been hit by unprecedented floods that have affected 33 million people, killed more than 1,700, and destroyed or damaged thousands of schools and hospitals. According to the latest official figures, about 8 million people are still displaced by the floods.