Pakistan suffers the injustice of climate change, says Guterres

The people of Pakistan are victims of “a grim climate injustice”, the UN Secretary-General told the General Assembly on Friday, recalling that although the country is responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is paying an “inflated price for climate change caused by human activity”.

During a plenary session of the UN’s most representative body on the country’s devastating floods, António Guterres recalled his visit to the flooded country last month in which he was able to witness first-hand “a level of climatic carnage beyond imagination. “.

Guterres described, for example, how floodwaters covered an area three times larger than his own country, Portugal, and said many lost their homes, their livestock, their crops and “their future.”

“devastated lives“, he explained.

The worst is yet to come

Although the rains have stopped and the water is beginning to recede, many areas in the south are still flooded and, with the arrival of winter, the situation is going from bad to worse.

“Pakistan is on the brink of a health catastrophe“, warned the head of the UN, noting that the threats of cholera, malaria and dengue can claim “many more lives than floods”.

The official painted a picture of nearly 1,500 devastated health facilities, two million homes damaged or destroyed, and more than two million families without their possessions.

“Many are without shelter as winter approaches.”

Cascading Calamities

At the same time, the scale of the destruction of crops and livestock is “creating a food crisis today and jeopardizing the planting season tomorrow,” Guterres continued.

“Severe hunger is on the rise. Malnutrition among children and pregnant and lactating women is on the rise. The number of children out of school is growing. The pain and difficulties, especially for women and girls, are increasing,” she explained.

Furthermore, more than 15 million people could be pushed into poverty.

The effects of the floods will not be felt just for days or months, but will persist in Pakistan for years.

Mass support needed

In collaboration with the Government of Pakistan, the Secretary-General convened a donor conference to provide support for rehabilitation and reconstruction, and urged countries, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to fully support these efforts.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has launched the Pakistan Flood Response Plan, which request 816 million dollars -an increase of 656 million compared to the initial appeal- to respond to the most urgent needs until next May.

“But this pales in comparison to what is needed on all frontsincluding food, water, sanitation … and health support,” Guterres said.

The moral responsibility of the G20

As the calendar moves quickly towards the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in November, he stated that “the world is going backwards, [ya que] greenhouse gas emissions are increasing along with climate calamities”.

The UN chief stressed that COP27 must be the place where these trends are reversed, serious action is taken on loss and damage, and vital financing for adaptation and resilience is found.

Recalling that the main industrialized countries of the G20 generate 80% of the emissions that destroy the climate, he stated that it is their “moral responsibility” to help Pakistan recover, adapt and build resilience in the face of catastrophes “supercharged by the climate crisis”.

We must act now

Guterres noted that a third of Pakistan has been flooded, and that many island states face “the very real prospect of their entire territory sinking“.

“Communities around the world are facing destruction caused by climate,” he said. “We must act, and we must act now.”

Although this time it was Pakistan, the Secretary-General warned that tomorrow “it could be any of our countries and our communities.”

“Climate chaos is knocking on everyone’s door, right now,” he concluded. “This global crisis demands solidarity and a global response.”

litmus test of solidarity

The President of the General Assembly stressed, for his part, the importance of time, since “the price we are paying for delays increases every day”.

Csaba Kőrösi stated that today the world is facing a “litmus test of solidarity” in the way Member States react to the difficult situation in Pakistan.

“This is a tragedy of epic proportions.” which requires “immediate interventions” to avoid a “permanent emergency”.

Afghan refugee children play near a water supply pump in Kheshgi refugee village, Nowshera district, Pakistan.

rebuild together

The president of the Assembly highlighted the need to be better prepared when the droughts and rains return.

More than ever, international relief efforts must focus on transformative solutions, he said. “Adaptation and resilience are the seeds of sustainability“.

Kőrösi urged the ambassadors to “make use of science and solidarity (…) to improve our crisis management capabilities… [para] rebuild together.

Request for help

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is urgently trying to help more than 650,000 refugees and members of their host communities affected by the dire floods in Pakistan.

Noting that the scale of the devastation is “difficult to comprehend”, spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told a press conference in Geneva on Friday that as Pakistan faces “a colossal challenge” in responding to the climate catastrophe, it needs more support “for the country and its people, who have generously welcomed Afghan refugees for more than four decades.”

He reported on the latest estimates of unprecedented rainfall and flooding, recording at least 1700 dead; 12,800 injured, including at least 4,000 children; some 7.9 million displaced; and almost 600,000 people living in relief places.

First line

“Pakistan is on the front lines of the climate emergency,” said Saltmarsh.

UNHCR is seeking additional funds to address immediate needs and assist in early recovery processes.

“It could take months for the flood waters to recede in the most affected areaswhile fears are growing about the threats of waterborne diseases and the safety of millions of affected people, 70% of whom are women and children,” he said, recalling that “environmental sustainability will remain central to the response.” .