Flood-ravaged Pakistan In 'dire' Need Of World Community's Support For Reconstruction: Masood Khan

WASHINGTON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Jan, 2023 ) :Pakistan needs "immediate" help of the international community for the post-flood reconstruction and rehabilitation of millions of displaced people, Ambassador Masood Khan has said on the eve of the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva.

"The needs are dire," the Pakistani envoy to the US underscored in an interview with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), a leading American television network.

"There is a misperception that the two phases of relief and recovery are over. They aren't over," he added.

He expressed the hope that under the leadership of the United Nations, UN Secretary-General and with the convening power of states like the United States, Pakistan would be able to get the required support at the Geneva conference.

"We hope that we would be able to get pledges for the bulk of the requirements for rehabilitation and reconstruction," Ambassador Khan said. "We need this assistance in the next three years to build climate resilient infrastructure and to preserve what we already have." Thanking the United States for its "generous and prompt" response to the humanitarian needs in the initial phase of relief and recovery, the Pakistan envoy listed three roles that he expected the U.

S. to play.

"One is direct contribution. We hope that the United States would announce a substantial contribution to our endeavor in Geneva. The second is their convening power with other governments and with the international financial institutions. And the third is that it would be a partner in our climate resilient efforts." On creation of loss and damage fund during recently held COP27 meeting in Egypt, Masood Khan said that its creation of loss was an achievement in itself but the fund itself had to be funded.

"The real objective of the loss and damage fund is to help vulnerable countries like Pakistan to transition, to move away from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy," he said.

"We will have to repurpose international community's resources to support this fund.

"We have mobilized all our resources but we need the help of the international community, particularly for this year," Masood Khan added.