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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 9 (AP) United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived before dawn Friday for a two-day visit aimed at expressing his solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan as climate-induced floods have taken their toll. 1,391 people have died since mid-June.
Guterres was greeted by senior officials after arriving at an airport near Islamabad.
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During the visit, the UN Secretary-General will travel to flood-stricken areas to meet with government and military officials including Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Guterres’ trip comes less than two weeks after he issued an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to help millions affected by record flooding that has caused at least $10 billion in damage.
Last week, the UN secretary general issued a stark warning about the impact of climate change.
“Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change,” he said in a video message at a ceremony in Islamabad at the time.
“Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”
So far, UN agencies and several countries have sent dozens of planes of relief supplies to flood victims in Pakistan. Washington has announced that the United States will provide $30 million in aid to help flood victims.
On Thursday, Sharif told a visiting U.S. diplomat that the world should step up its fight against climate change to avoid more deadly floods in the impoverished Islamic country, the government said.
Sharif made the comments during a meeting with Derek Chollet, a senior State Department official who visited Islamabad to assess damage after floods killed 1,391 people, affected 3.3 million and left more than half a million homeless and arrange assistance.
According to the statement, Cholai “confirmed that the United States will stand with Pakistan in the wake of this monumental challenge, providing vital support and helping those affected to rebuild their lives and communities.”
The meeting came a day ahead of the first U.S. plane expected to deliver supplies.
Cholet also met Pakistan’s powerful army chief of staff, General Kamal Javid Bajwa on Thursday, according to a military statement, as the Biden administration approved the resumption of $450 million in equipment sales to Pakistan for F-16 aircraft maintenance – The deal has been on hold for years.
Cholet told reporters in Islamabad that it was a “step forward” in the security relationship between the United States and Islamabad.
Earlier, Cholet said he discussed how Washington could assist Pakistan’s rescue and relief operations in a meeting with Sharif and other officials, adding that there would be more announcements on U.S. aid soon.
Washington is the largest donor to Pakistan’s flood victims, Cholett said, adding that the Biden administration is also talking to other countries asking them to help Pakistan and commit to doing its part in the fight against climate change.
The disaster has added new burdens to cash-strapped Pakistan and highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on the poor. Experts say Pakistan is responsible for only 0.4 percent of the world’s historic emissions, which are blamed on climate change. The United States accounted for 21.5%, China accounted for 16.5%, and the EU accounted for 15%.
Flooding in Pakistan that began in mid-June also injured 12,722 people, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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