Afghan refugees take shelter at Kheshgi refugee village in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while emergency supplies at UNHCR's warehouse in Azakhel village, also in Nowshera District, are prepared for delivery to support flood-affected people in the region. UNHCR handed over emergency relief items to Pakistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority and is supporting the government-led response, alongside other national and international partners, to respond to refugee and host community needs. ; Some 33 million people in Pakistan have been affected by weeks-long monsoon floods across the country that have killed more than 1,100 people and left 6.4 million in need of urgent support. Since June 2022, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. More than 420,000 Afghan refugees live among host communities in worst-hit Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, where UNHCR has provided 10,000 tents and other aid items, and in Sindh province, where UNHCR has sent help to 50,000 households.
A flood-affected person unpacking UNHCR’s relief items at a relief site set up by UNHCR at Kheshgi refugee village in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. UNHCR is supporting community members displaced by the monsoon flooding with tents, sleeping mats, blankets, plastic sheeting, buckets and kitchen sets. ©/UNHCR
ISLAMABAD 19 September 2022– UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Monday welcomed the United States’ generous new contribution of US $2 million in humanitarian assistance for flood response efforts in Pakistan. This funding will be channelled to areas affected by the monsoon flooding, supporting life-saving activities as well as helping to rebuild community infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and shelters.
The announcement comes as the people of Pakistan continue to grapple with the effects of extreme weather due to climate change, with torrential monsoon rains and floods displacing more than 33 million people and causing widespread destruction, damage, and over 1,400 fatalities. Some 81 districts across the country have been affected, over half of which host Afghan refugees.
The United States’ contribution demonstrates a continued commitment to solidarity and responsibility sharing with Pakistan, among the world’s largest hosts of refugees.
Emergency relief supplies and tents are being transported from UNHCR’s warehouse in Azakhel village, in Nowshera District. UNHCR handed over emergency relief items to Pakistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority and is supporting the government-led response, alongside other national and international partners, to respond to refugee and host community needs. ©/UNHCR
“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,” noted US Ambassador Donald Blome.
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.
In response to flooding, UNHCR is on the ground distributing life-saving support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces 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 southern Sindh province.
“As relief arrives in country, the focus has to remain on getting assistance out to affected communities as fast as possible,” noted UNHCR Representative to Pakistan, Noriko Yoshida. “For decades, the United States has steadfastly supported 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.
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Media contact
Mr. Qaiser Khan Afridi, UNHCR Pakistan Spokesperson, +92-300-5018696
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