ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday left for Geneva to co-host along with the United Nations (UN) a donors’ conference for the survivors of this summer's deadly floods in Pakistan, hoping it would help rebuild lives in flood-affected regions of the South Asian country. 

According to official estimates, unprecedented rains and floods last year killed more than 1,700 people, affected over 33 million Pakistanis and cost the cash-strapped nation $30 billion, which is about a tenth of Pakistan’s GDP.  

PM Sharif, who is accompanied by federal ministers Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Ishaq Dar, Sherry Rehman and Marriyum Aurangzeb, will highlight Pakistan’s immediate reconstruction needs amounting to about $16.3 billion. UN officials in Pakistan have already warned the current international aid is likely to run out on January 15. 

Prior to flying to Geneva, Sharif said it was vital to bridge a funding gap to restore critical infrastructure in the country that was washed away by recent floods not only to rebuild millions of lives but also to revive the national economy. 

“We will place comprehensive post-disaster framework plan for recovery, rehabilitation & reconstruction with resilience before development partners & friendly countries,” the prime minister said in a string of Twitter posts before leaving for the international conference. “Bridging funding gap is key to restore critical infrastructure, rebuild lives & livelihoods & revive economy.” 

“Humanity is at an inflection point in world history,” he continued. “Our actions today will shape the resilient future for our succeeding generations. Millions of Pakistanis affected by unprecedented devastation look for compassion & solidarity to build back better.” 

In an article written on Friday, the prime minister complained about a decline in international enthusiasm to deal with help his country deal with the issue. 

“International attention has receded, but the waters have not,” he wrote in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. “Large parts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces remain inundated.” 

“The number of food-insecure people in Pakistan has doubled to 14 million; another 9 million have been pushed into extreme poverty,” he said.  

“These flooded areas now look like a huge series of permanent lakes, transforming forever the terrain and the lives of people living there. No amount of pumps can remove this water in less than a year; and by July 2023, the worry is that these areas may flood again.” 

The prime minister maintained he was conscious the Geneva conference would only the beginning of a long and arduous journey, though a substantive outcome would reassure millions of imperiled people they had not been forgotten and that the international community would help them to rebuild their lives.