US announces additional $2m flood relief for Pakistan

UN refugee agency official says ‘focus remains on getting assistance out to affected communities as fast as possible’

The United States has announced an additional $2 million for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) flood response efforts in Pakistan.

“We are pleased to announce two million dollars in humanitarian assistance to support UNHCR’s flood response, providing lifesaving items to flood-affected Pakistanis and Afghan refugees in three provinces and helping to rebuild communities,” US Ambassador Donald Blome said in a statement on Monday.

The additional funding from the United States comes on top of the existing US contribution of $33 million for UNHCR’s planned programmes in 2022, aimed at strengthening livelihoods, boosting the capacity of national education and health facilities in refugee-hosting communities, and supporting the pursuit of solutions for refugees.

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In response to flooding, the UNHCR is on the ground distributing life-saving support in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for Afghan refugees and their host communities, while also rushing relief, including emergency shelter, hygiene items, mosquito nets, solar lanterns and blankets, to flood-hit areas in Sindh.

“As relief arrives in the country, the focus has to remain on getting assistance out to affected communities as fast as possible,” said UNHCR Representative to Pakistan, Noriko Yoshida. “For decades, the United States has steadfastly supported the UNHCR’s work in Pakistan, and this contribution further bolsters our emergency response efforts.”

Pakistan and its people have hosted millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades, with some 1.3 million currently registered in the country.