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Pakistan flood, one year on
Inhabitants of a village, Sindh province, © picture alliance/dpa
One year after the devastating flood in Pakistan, which directly affected some 20 million people, Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Development Minister Dirk Niebel take stock of the support that has been provided by Germany.
One year after the devastating flood in Pakistan, which directly affected some 20 million people, Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Development Minister Dirk Niebel take stock of the support that has been provided by Germany:
“Especially people in north-western Pakistan are struggling, having been affected by two emergencies – military conflict with the Taliban and the consequences of the flood crisis. Germany will therefore continue to support the reconstruction effort. But of course we have also been calling on the Pakistan Government to undertake significant efforts of its own for the country's reconstruction and development. Too little has been done so far in this regard, especially in terms of political and economic reforms.”
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle added:
“It will be possible neither to combat international terrorism effectively nor to build lasting stability in Afghanistan unless Pakistan is part of the effort.”
With a view to not only addressing reconstruction but also meeting people's daily needs, which is still problematic for many flood victims in Pakistan, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is making available another 7 million euro this year in early recovery and development funding. In addition, the Federal Foreign Office (AA) will be providing more than 2 million euro.
Development Minister Dirk Niebel said:
“A few weeks ago, I was able to get a first-hand impression of the situation in Pakistan. One year after the disaster, there are many places where the damage is still visible, especially in the priority region of our cooperation, the north-western part of Pakistan. That is why the BMZ will provide another 7 million euro this year for early recovery and development.”
Background information:
In response to the flood last summer, the German Government had made available a total of 35 million euro in emergency aid, which was used for food, drugs, emergency shelters and early recovery activities. Half of these funds came from the AA and half from the BMZ. They were channelled through German and international aid agencies as well as through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
(Joint press statement by the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development)