Pakistan is paying the price of a problem created by others

Pakistan is paying the price of a problem created by others: UN Secretary Genera

This is not the question of solidarity and generosity, but it is the question of justice, UN Secretary General said.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, center right, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, interact with children at a school set up at a flood relief camp in Jaffarabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (AP)

UN Secretary General António Guterres on Saturday said his organisation would  strongly advocate for ‘debt swaps’ with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank through which developing countries including Pakistan, instead of paying back loans to foreign creditors, would be able to use that money to invest in climate resilience, in sustainable infrastructure, and green transition of their economies.

On Friday he urged the world to help Pakistan as it struggles to cope with the aftermath of devastating floods. He said that Pakistan needs massive financial assistance for recovery.

Days before, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had warned that the country would need “trillions of rupees” to rehabilitate 33m Pakistanis who have seen their lives washed away by the surging waters. With nearly 1,400 people dead, around a million livestock lost, as well as homes, crops, roads and other infrastructure destroyed or damaged, new estimates put the economic losses at about $20bn.

The secretary general held, “The numbers, reflecting the economic losses, are horrifying. But beyond the numbers, I see the families that have lost their loved ones, houses, crops, jobs and are living in desperate conditions”.

Although the United Nations has launched a flash appeal for funds to help those most affected, and many countries have sent ships with relief supplies such as tents and food, the world's initial response to the tragedy has now been the best until now.

“We see here in Pakistan, the nature is striking back with devastating consequences,” he observed, adding: “I have seen many disasters in the world but I have never seen climate carnage on these scales”, Guterres told the media on his arrival at the old airport of Karachi.

The UN chief said he 'simply had no words to describe' what he had witnessed  today.

“The most emotional moment for me during this visit was to listen to a group of women and men who have sacrificed their possessions even though there was a possibility of rescue,” he observed.

“The poor people have touched me deeply. I want to pay tributes to gigantic efforts of the Pakistan authorities, civilian and military, national and regional,” he added.

Beyond the human suffering of the affected people in Pakistan, I have also seen great heights of heroism.

I thank the civil society, humanitarian organizations, and the UN teams who have rushed in, for their tireless work.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/eFzBoOecxo

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 10, 2022

“This is not the question of solidarity and generosity, but it is the question of justice,” he added.

He stressed that all countries led by the G-20 must boost their national emission reduction targets every year to ensure a 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit.

United Nation Secretary General Antonio Guterres talking to media at Karachi Airport before departure from Pakistan, Saturday, September 10. PHOTO: APP

Pakistan is responsible for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but ranks eighth on a list compiled by the non-governmental organization Germanwatch of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

“I have been demanding very clearly that the world must seriously adopt a programme of in-depth relief for developing countries including middle-income countries including Pakistan that are on the verge of an extremely difficult financial situation,” he noted.