UN Secretary-General António Guterres to visit Pakistan tomorrow
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will pay a “solidarity visit” to Pakistan, which was hit by unprecedented floods. The visit will take place tomorrow September 9th, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
“During the visit, Secretary-General Guterres will meet with Pakistani leadership and senior officials to exchange views on the national and global response to this climate change disaster,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
The Secretary-General will visit the flood-affected areas. He added that he would contact the families of displaced people and first responders on the ground and oversee UN humanitarian efforts to support the government’s rescue and relief efforts for millions of affected people. The Foreign Office also said Guterres’ visit will further raise global awareness of the scale, loss of life, and mass destruction of this disaster.
“This will help facilitate a proportionate and coordinated international response to the humanitarian and other needs of the 33 million affected Pakistanis.” The UN Secretary-General has actively supported the UN’s rapid appeal for $160 million to fund flood response initiatives in Pakistan.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres to visit Pakistan tomorrow
“The UN continues to underline the link between these disasters and the consequences of climate change and warns the international community of the existential threat to the planet if climate change is not addressed quickly and effectively,” the Foreign Office said.
The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids. More than 1000 people have been killed – with millions more lives shattered.
This colossal crisis requires urgent, collective action to help the Government & people of Pakistan in their hour of need. pic.twitter.com/aVFFy4Irwa
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 30, 2022
A visit by a senior UN diplomat is expected to underline the importance of continued international support to Pakistan in its reconstruction and recovery and in building resilience to future climate shocks.
Pakistan’s UN Representative Munir Akram welcomed the announcement of the UN Secretary General’s visit to Pakistan. “This is an expression of his solidarity with the people and government of Pakistan in difficult times and his determination to mobilize the entire United Nations system to respond to this humanitarian disaster,” he tweeted.
We warmly welcome the SG’s @antonioguterres decision to visit Pakistan. This is a demonstration of his solidarity with the people & Govt of Pakistan in this hour of need & his determination to mobilize the entire @UN system to respond to this human catastrophe.#FloodsInPakistan
— Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, PR of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanPR_UN) August 30, 2022
