After the dramatic summer floods in Pakistan, international solidarity is being organised. The country got Monday 9 january over 9 billions of dollars in international aid pledges to rebuild after last year’s devastating floods. These promises were made at a conference co-organized by the United Nations, to mobilize at least half of the 16.3 billion dollars (15.3 billion euros) deemed necessary to rebuild the country so that, in particular, it is more resistant to the consequences of climate change.
“Today has really been a day that gives us a lot of hope. The message is clear : the world will stand with those who are hit by natural disasters and will not leave them alone”, Pakistani Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said after announcing the final amount. Last summer’s devastating floods, which caused more than 1 700 dead and affected more than 33 million others, and the global energy crisis have increased the pressure on the Pakistani economy, plunging the country into an extremely difficult financial situation.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron announced that France would provide 360 million euros in projects to help rebuild the country. These projects “will be launched to meet the challenge of resilient reconstruction and therefore of climate adaptation”, declared by videoconference the French president. France is ready to participate in the international support group and to contribute to emergency aid up to 10 million additional euros, announced the Head of State.
“Laying the foundations for a deep renovation”
“We must demonstrate that when a country is exposed to a shock of this magnitude, the international community, and in particular all financial institutions, are capable of mobilizing to support it towards a more resilient reconstruction”, added Emmanuel Macron. More broadly, he called for “rebuilding a sustainable partnership between North and South”, emphasizing that this was the objective of a conference to be held in June in Paris. She “aims to support and lay the foundations for a profound overhaul of the rules of the World Bank and the IMF, but more broadly of our financing rules, to draw all the consequences of these climate effects”according to him.
Pakistan is “victim of climate chaos and a morally bankrupt global financial system”and needs“massive investments” of the international community, recalled UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the start of the conference.
Lhe countries most affected by global warming are often the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. At the call of the most vulnerable countries, thehe agreement signed in November during the COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt), rightly endorsed the creation of a compensation fund for the consequences of global warming already suffered by the latter. The international community has until the end of the year to define its outlines.
