ISLAMABAD: A new study by the United Nations children’s agency says developing resilient energy systems to power health facilities in Pakistan could avert over 175,000 deaths by 2030.

UNICEF said improved energy resilience would also contribute $296 million to the country’s fragile economy over the next 20 years by reducing maternal, adult, and infant mortality.

The study, conducted by UNICEF’s Economist Impact Unit and released Friday, comes as Pakistan is experiencing an intense heatwave that has sickened thousands of people, further burdening the country’s health care system.

Temperatures in various parts of Pakistan soared as high as 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday. Authorities are urging people to stay indoors, hydrate, and avoid unnecessary travel. Demand for power has surged because of the high temperatures, putting a strain on existing electricity sources.

UNICEF said resilient energy refers to reliable, flexible, accessible, and quality power supplies that can withstand and recover quickly from unanticipated shocks, such as power outages and floods.

It said more resilient energy supplies for schools would reduce dropout rates and improve children’s learning so they can earn more in the future.

“Children depend on schools, health centers, and safe drinking water for their survival, yet these facilities often don’t have the electricity supply to function optimally. As the current heatwave grips the country, electricity needs have skyrocketed, leading to shortfalls that can endanger children’s health,” said Abdullah Fadil, the UNICEF representative in Pakistan.

UNICEF said 3.5 billion people live without reliable power worldwide.

It said climate change is contributing to the disruption of generation and distribution of energy in Pakistan, where floods triggered by climate-induced monsoon rains in 2022 killed 1,739 people. It said almost half of the water infrastructure, such as storage tanks, wells and supply lines, was damaged by the floods.

This year, Pakistan recorded its wettest April since 1961 with more than double the usual rainfall for the month. Heavy rains last month killed scores of people and destroyed property and farmland.

Daytime temperatures in May have soared as much as 8 C (14 F) above average temperatures for the month over the last 20 years, raising fears of flooding in the northwest because of glacial melting.

UNICEF said it helped restore water systems for 350,000 people in 375 locations after the 2022 floods and has also implemented several solar electrification initiatives in Pakistan.

“Pakistan has an abundance of renewable resources and by investing in them we are tapping into a goldmine to help children,” Fadil said. “We need the private sector to play a bigger role as public sector resources will not be enough. This is everybody’s business.”

GENEVA: A long-standing resolution urging WHO action on towering health needs in the Palestinian territories hung in the balance Friday, after Israel secured an amendment requiring the text to mention hostages held in Gaza.
The largely technical text presented on Wednesday by a group of Arab countries, including the Palestinians, to the World Health Organization’s supreme decision-making body, had been expected to pass easily, as similar resolutions have done annually for more than 50 years.
But before the text could go to a vote, Israel surprisingly secured enough support to demand it be amended to include a call for the release of the hostages held in Gaza, and a condemnation of the militarization of hospitals in the territory by Hamas.
The Arab Group then attempted to retract the resolution, but was informed that doing so once an amendment had already been voted through was against the rules.
It remained unclear what would happen on Friday when the issue again comes to the floor of the World Health Assembly — the annual gathering in Geneva of the WHO’s 194 member states.
One option for Arab countries was to vote against their own resolution to avoid approving a text including the Israeli amendment.
But it appeared they would rather try to push through an amendment of their own, beefing up criticism of Israel in the resolution.
Prior to the amendments, this year’s draft text urged a donor conference to address soaring health needs in Gaza and across the Palestinian territories.
It also requested reporting on the dire health crisis in Gaza, including on Israel’s “wanton destruction of health facilities” in the coastal strip.
Before voting began on Wednesday, Israel’s Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar told the assembly that any decision “that does not demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages is an unforgivable moral failure.”
A majority of countries had been expected to vote down Israel’s amendment.
But after Shahar demanded a roll-call vote, meaning each state had to publicly announce its stance, it became clear it would be tight.
Basically, all Arab and Muslim countries opposed the amendment, supported by among others heavyweights China and Russia.
The United States and most European nations backed it, while the picture was mixed elsewhere.
In the end, the amendment passed, with 50 votes in favor and 44 opposed, while 83 countries were either absent or abstained.
The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,189 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,224 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.