Guterres: Seeing 'human indomitability and great heroism' in Pakistan's climate catastrophe

Since mid-June, Pakistan has experienced near-constant monsoon rains, flash floods and rain-induced landslides. These disasters have so far killed more than 1,300 people, affected 33 million people, and affected three-quarters of the country.

The floods also damaged or destroyed more than 1.1 million homes and more than 470,000 people lived in makeshift camps. In addition, an estimated 3.5 million children’s education and learning were disrupted, including damage to at least 61 refugee schools.

The Secretary-General flew to the worst-hit provinces of Sindh and Balochistan and met with local victims, some of whom were directly affected by the floods.

climate catastrophe

“I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never seen a climate disaster on this scale,” Guterres told reporters at the end of his visit to the disaster area. “I just can’t put words into what I’m seeing today: The flooded area of the country is three times the total area of my own country, Portugal.”

He stressed that while he has witnessed “unquantifiable human suffering,” he also sees “human indomitability and great heroism” from emergency responders to ordinary people helping their neighbors.

Earlier on Saturday, the secretary-general was flown from Islamabad to Sukkur in Sindh province, accompanied by Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and Foreign Minister Zardari. That night, he held a joint press conference with Zardari at Karachi airport.

Speaking on the tarmac, they were flanked by a shipment of aid that UNHCR had just delivered to the affected communities.

The Secretary-General commends the enormous relief efforts by the Pakistani authorities, both civilian and military, national and regional.

“I would also like to thank civil society, humanitarian organisations and my UN colleagues who have all reached the affected area. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the donors who have started to support Pakistan at this terrible time,” he added.

Guterres stressed that Pakistan’s needs are enormous, which is why “I urge all parties to provide Pakistan with massive and urgent financial support. This is not just a question of solidarity or generosity. It is a question of justice or not.” The problem.”

Foreign Minister Zardari thanked the Secretary-General for his visit to Pakistan at the most difficult time of the country, “witnessing first-hand the devastation caused by the catastrophic monsoon rains we have faced for months”.

He stressed that the crisis was not created by Pakistan and that “the response to this crisis must also be on a global scale”.

displaced

As planes carrying UN and Pakistani officials overflew the country’s southern regions, swaths of submerged land were visible;

In addition to witnessing the devastation caused by the floods, the Secretary-General also met with local officials, homeless victims, first responders and selfless locals who came to help when the floodwaters began to rise.

At the Sukkur airport in Sindh province, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah painted a picture of the horrific disaster in the province. “Virtually all rural areas on both sides of the Indus have been affected, and we know that nearly 600 people have been killed, less than 10,000 people have been injured, and a rough estimate of 12 million people has been affected,” he said.

He added that there is an urgent need for relief supplies, such as tents for temporary shelter, and mosquito nets to help those displaced.

Previously, the Sukkur region was badly affected by floods in 2010 and 2011, and again this year was one of the worst-hit areas.

Guterres said it was clear that the floods had caused loss of life and property and affected livelihoods, but he told the Pakistani official: “After listening to you, I know hope is not lost.”

However, in order to realize this hope, the Secretary-General stressed that the international community must “stop our madness with nature. Now is the time to reduce emissions. This is the basis for discussions at the 27th UN Climate Conference in Cairo. important”.

Afterwards, the Secretary-General and his party took a helicopter from Sukkur Airport in Sindh Province to Usta Mohammad in Balochistan Province. The disasters along the way are equally heartbreaking: those once homelands are now almost deserted, and the victims are left homeless.

In Usta Mohammed, the Secretary-General and Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister heard about the tragic plight of the displaced. One of them lost everything in the flood, including his shelter and a goat.

Guterres also met a woman who spoke about her health. Another woman, lying on a bed in a tent, had just given birth to a baby boy. She smiled when the secretary-general held the child and asked about her condition.

Temperatures in this part of Pakistan are approaching 38°C. The heat was unbearable, but residents had no choice. Fans are installed in the tents, and children are being educated in tents provided by UNICEF. Senior officials from the United Nations and the Pakistani government listened carefully to what the victims had to say and their hopes.

Together in the same boat

The next stop is Mohenjodaro, another flood-affected area. The Secretary-General and government officials met with displaced persons. On the way to their crowded makeshift shelter, tents can be seen erected on dykes as desperate people try to avoid the threat of rising water levels.

Guterres communicated with the victims who lost everything. His message to them was: “I am here to ask the whole world to provide Pakistan with massive support.”

The secretary-general and Zardari also visited a nearby hospital, where they met with first responders and nurses, female health workers, and people who came to the disaster area.

Dr. Abbas, a field medical officer who has been in hospital since the floods, lamented how challenging the situation has been for her as a mother of three. But she added: “I’m here to serve my people, that’s my mission.”

Female health worker Amna’s house collapsed in the rain, but she still reaches out to others. She told UN News that there was water everywhere and she was helping pregnant women and providing nutrition and other treatments. “There was no road traffic and we used local boats to evacuate people,” she said.

Alliance Council Secretary Ali Ho risked his life to rescue about 300 people from the slum and help transfer them to the Qued Awam University of Engineering. He was also entrusted with the task of delivering food to hundreds of victims every day.

At a press conference in Karachi, the secretary-general said: “I am deeply moved by the extraordinary generosity shown by the poor and the poor, and I hope that all those in the world who can afford to support Pakistan can follow this example.”

visit monuments

Not far from the hospital, the Secretary-General visited Mohenjodaro, the site of the flood-affected UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nestled in the valley of the Indus River, this massive city was built in 3000 BC from rough bricks. The site includes an acropolis, built on a huge embankment and surrounded by ramparts, this low-bottomed city followed strict standards, and from these remains we can see the embryonic form of early urban planning.

The secretary-general visited the ancient site, wearing the traditional hood of Sindh, the ‘jirak’, a gift he received at the site.

humanitarian response facility

The WFP Humanitarian Response Facility is a network of warehouses in strategic locations across Pakistan, established at the request of the Government of Pakistan. The country has eight humanitarian response facilities designed to spread relief support and response across the provinces. The Humanitarian Response Facility in Sukkur was completed in 2016. The facility is 10 acres and can store 3,200 tons of cargo.

Resident coordinator Julien Harneis told UN News that humanitarian response facilities were critical in the disaster. “Without the warehouses and stocks there, it would take months for people to receive aid.”

He added that the scale of the disaster was so large that, for the future, “we need to think about how we can work better with first responders, how we can work better with local governments, associations and civil society. So we need to think for the future. Build different models”.

Pakistan pays price for actions of other countries

In Karachi, Guterres said human-induced climate change was exacerbating storms and disasters in Pakistan, but in Chad, too, in the Horn of Africa, where there is a dire risk of drought and famine.

“All these countries are not causing the climate problem, but they are paying the price.”

These extreme weather events have traces of human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels to warm our planet, he added.

He pointed out that the G20 countries account for 80% of global emissions, and developed economies are responsible for the vast majority of historical greenhouse gas emissions.

“In Pakistan, I want to stress a clear point: richer countries have a moral duty to help developing countries like Pakistan recover from such a disaster and build adaptation to climate impacts,” Guterres said. capacity and resilience, and these effects will unfortunately repeat themselves in the future.”

He pointed out that Pakistan is paying the price for the disasters created by other countries.

“Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country, no matter where you live”. The Secretary-General stressed that all countries, especially those led by the G20, must raise their emission reduction targets every year until the global temperature rise is kept within 1.5°C. “We may make it irreversible.” .

People living in conditions of high climate vulnerability, including those in South Asia, were 15 times more likely to die from climate impacts. Currently, nearly half of the world’s population falls into this category, with the vast majority living in developing countries.

“When Pakistan is flooded, when famine is ravaging the Horn of Africa, rich countries must increase their financing for climate change adaptation,” Guterres said.