Geneva: The United Nations warned on Tuesday the humanitarian situation in flood-ravaged Pakistan was expected to get worse, a day after establishing an air bridge to deliver aid to victims.
More than 33 million people in Pakistan have been affected by the flooding, brought on by record monsoon rains amplified by climate change. The floods have caused at least 1,300 deaths and washed away homes, businesses, roads and bridges.
The UN’s World Health Organization said more than 1,460 health centers had been damaged, of which 432 were fully wrecked, the majority of them in the southeastern province of Sindh.
More than 4,500 medical camps have been set up by the WHO and its partners, while more than 230,000 rapid tests for acute watery diarrhea, malaria, dengue, hepatitis and chikungunya have been distributed.
Such diseases are already circulating in Pakistan, alongside Covid-19, HIV and polio, and “now all these are at risk of getting worse,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.
“We have already received reports of increased number of cases of acute watery diarrhea, typhoid, measles and malaria, especially in the worst-affected areas.”
Jasarevic said it was still difficulty to get to areas hit hard by the floods, which have submerged a third of the country — an area the size of the United Kingdom
Mortality among newborn babies and severe acute malnutrition are at risk of increasing due to disruption of services.
“The situation is expected to worsen,” Jasarevic warned.
The WHO has delivered $1.5 million in medicines and emergency stockpiles, including tents, water purification kits and oral rehydration sachets.
It is appealing for $19 million from donors.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has launched an air bridge to deliver aid from Dubai.
The first four flights took off on Monday, said Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific.
Six other flights are planned, with mattresses, tarpaulins and cooking utensils on board.
“The food insecurity is going to be huge because the crops are devastated, obviously, and the little they had in terms of livestock is also destroyed,” he said.
UN preparing for worse to come in Pakistan floods
https://arab.news/nnfha
UN preparing for worse to come in Pakistan floods
- UN’s World Health Organization said more than 1,460 health centers had been damaged
- UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has launched an air bridge to deliver aid from Dubai
Pakistan expands crypto engagement with appearance at Mar-a-Lago finance forum
- Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority Chairman Bilal bin Saqib attends World Liberty Financial event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate
- Discussions focused on future of global financial infrastructure, digital assets, stablecoins, capital markets innovation, says Saqib’s office
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman and Minister of State Bilal bin Saqib joined global finance leaders at an event hosted by World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture linked to US President Donald Trump’s family, Saqib’s office said on Thursday.
The event was hosted by World Liberty Financial, a crypto-based finance platform launched in September 2024 linked to Trump’s family. According to Saqib’s office, the gathering was held at Mar-a-Lago, the private estate and club owned by Trump in Florida.
Speakers and attendees at the event included David Solomon, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, Adena Friedman, chairperson and CEO of Nasdaq as well as Lynn Martin, president of the New York Stock Exchange, Saqib’s office said. The event was organized and hosted by Eric Trump and American businesspersons Zach Witkoff and Alex Witkoff.
“Discussions focused on the future of global financial infrastructure, digital assets, stablecoins, capital markets innovation and the evolving relationship between regulation and emerging financial technologies,” the statement said.
It said Saqib’s attendance at the event reflected Pakistan’s growing engagement with global discussions shaping the next phase of financial and technological transformation.
“As Pakistan moves toward modernizing its financial infrastructure and strengthening its position in the global digital economy, such high-level engagements signal increasing international recognition of the country’s regulatory direction and leadership,” the statement added.
Last month, Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding with a company affiliated with World Liberty Financial to explore the use of a dollar-linked stablecoin for cross-border payments.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts recently to regulate its digital asset sector and is exploring digital currency initiatives as part of broader measures to reduce cash usage.
