US announces additional $100 million flood-related recovery fund for Pakistan

Speaking to media persons at a news conference here, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the funding includes humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery efforts in refugee-hosting areas.

“I am pleased to share that today the United States announced an additional USD 100 million of recovery and reconstruction funding, bringing our total contribution to over USD200 million,” he said.

The new USD 100 million in funding will be for flood protection and governance, disease surveillance, economic growth, and clean energy, climate smart agriculture, food security, and infrastructure reconstruction, Price said.

The United States’ flood-related assistance complements its broader efforts to form a US-Pakistan green alliance that looks at the range of climate and resilience issues central to Pakistan’s reconstruction, the spokesperson said, as per PTI reports.

“Pakistan’s recovery and reconstruction will be a continuing process in the months and years ahead and we will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to build a more climate-resilient future for its people,” he added.

On Monday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing the opening session of the ‘International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan’ in Geneva, said the country would need a minimum of USD 16.3 billion, half of which is expected to be met by foreign help, over the next three years to bridge funding needs.

Pakistan estimated that about USD 30 billion were needed to come out of the deadly impact of the floods which was the worst in the last three decades.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, in his address through a video link, promised to provide USD 10 million in aid support to Pakistan, as he announced that his country would continue to provide expertise and some financial support to Islamabad.