KUWAIT: Pakistan is facing the worst floods catastrophe in living memory with torrential rains as much as 2.7 times the national thirty years average. More than a thousand people have lost their lives so far. More than 30 million people have been badly affected by the torrential rains, flash floods and forced evacuations. Millions of cattle have perished, hundreds of thousands of houses wiped out. Agricultural crops on thousands of acres have been destroyed.

Pakistan is making all efforts led by the government with the help of development partners including the United Nations, IFIs and many countries and organizations to address the daunting challenges posed by the devastating floods.

It is critical to appreciate the importance of coordinated and concerted efforts for rescue and relief in the immediate phase to be followed by reconstruction and rehabilitation in the long term. The government of Pakistan has carried out holistic need assessment in coordination with the UN Country team along with details of loss of life and damage done to infrastructure and property. It was important to mitigating the inter-related impacts of the floods including food shortage, communicable diseases, loss of shelter, non-availability of water and sanitation facilities, etc.

We request the brotherly state and people of Kuwait, charity organizations and Pakistani community to mobilize resources and humanitarian assistance to alleviate the immediate suffering of our people. The United Nations Flash Appeal in this regard will be launched on August 30 simultaneously in Geneva and Islamabad.

The people of Pakistan have always shown exemplary resilience, brotherhood, compassion, generosity and commitment in the wake of such natural disasters. Pakistan is amongst the top ten disaster-prone countries due to climate change and the recent flash floods are another manifestation of this fact. It is important that the international community shows solidarity with Pakistan and reinforces its national efforts in combating the impacts of such natural disasters. - Embassy of Pakistan