After the flood — who’s given aid to Pakistan?

Pakistan has faced unprecedented challenges over the last spring and summer — a historic heat wave that lasted two months, followed by unusual monsoon rains that resulted in widespread flooding. Pakistan’s crisis highlights the devastating consequences of inadequate action on climate change from the world’s biggest economies — which are also the primary contributor to greenhouse gases emissions. And it is also a reminder that it is the lower-income countries that will mostly bear the costs of these catastrophic events. With one-third of the country still submerged under water, the government of Pakistan currently estimates the damages of the floods at more than $30 billion — three times its earlier estimate of $10 billion. The calamity has affected and displaced tens of millions, and claimed nearly 1,400 lives. Although donors have started to mobilize resources, data suggests that the available funding currently represents only a small fraction of the estimated damages to the country’s economy. A lot more is needed, but the funding flow is rather sluggish. In this article, we looked at what donors have been doing so far to address the crisis. Humanitarian aid from donor countries The United Nations, along with the government of Pakistan, launched the Pakistan Response Plan 2022 on August 30, following the call for help from the government. The appeal is asking for $160.3 million from donors to respond to the humanitarian needs of about 5.2 million people affected by the calamity. However, despite the widely reported crisis, data from the financial tracking service portal of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs shows that, as of Sept. 19, only $60.8 million — or 37.9% of the total appeal — has been contributed, committed, or pledged so far. The United States is the biggest source of this funding, with $32.9 million, or 54.2% of the total. Of this, $26.1 million has been disbursed, while $6.8 million has been committed. Japan ranked next, with $7 million, Australia, with $3.7 million, and Canada, with $3.5 million. The U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund allocated $9.7 million. The rest of the donors include: • Denmark — $1.8 million • United Kingdom — $1.1 million • Sweden — $790,000 • Pakistan — $253,000 • Germany — $54,000 The activities funded through the appeal range from delivery of food and other basic supplies, shelter, and cash transfers to provision of medical services. More than a third of the aid, worth $21.6 million, will be channeled through the World Food Programme. Other implementers include Concern Worldwide, with $10.7 million, the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, with $5 million, United Nations Children's Fund, with $3.8 million, and the World Health Organization, with $2.7 million. A further $7 million will be channeled through other U.N. agencies yet to be identified. Donor countries have also made individual efforts to address the crisis in Pakistan. As of writing, the U.S. has allocated a total of $50.1 million assistance in the form of emergency food aid, hygiene and winterization kits, drinking water, and other basic supplies. China announced an additional RMB 300 million ($43.1 million) worth of relief materials, on top of the RMB 100 million ($14.4 million) worth of emergency supplies it has already donated. On the other hand, Canada will provide $25 million to support response and other development projects in Pakistan. It will also match individual donations by its citizens, up to a maximum of $3 million. The United Kingdom announced earlier this month that £15 million will be provided for humanitarian support, such as shelter and essential goods, while Germany has pledged €13 million for relief and rehabilitation efforts. How about the other donors? Earlier this month, the World Bank announced that it will rechannel $300 million of funding for relief and rehabilitation efforts in Pakistan, although details of where the money will come from were not mentioned. The multilateral bank was among the first international institutions to announce support to the country. Its activities will focus on restoration after the actual damages have been assessed. WFP announced a $110 million support to the victims, while the European Union is providing another €1.8 million for humanitarian assistance, following its previous allocation of €350,000. The Asian Development Bank has approved a $3 million grant to finance food and other essential supplies, tents, and relief efforts in the country. ADB pledged a total of $20 million assistance to Pakistan. Meanwhile, the private sector in Pakistan has also started to pledge support to relief and reconstruction efforts. This includes: • $10 million from Bank Alfalah for aid and rescue operations. • Rs 1.75 billion ($7.4 million) from PTCL Group, the largest telecommunication service provider in Pakistan, for housing loans, free calls services in affected areas, and donation to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. • PKR 1.1 billion ($4.7 million) from mobile services provider Telenor Pakistan for both in-cash and in-kind donations to support relief efforts. • PKR 1 billion ($4.2 million) from Jazz, a mobile operator and digital company, for relief efforts and emergency supplies. • PKR 250 million ($1.1 million) from Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund toward the Flood Emergency Relief Programme. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free 5-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.