UN chief to visit flood-affected areas on Sept 9

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres will pay a ‘solidarity visit’ to the flood-affected areas of Pakistan on September 9.

“With the tragic situation facing millions of men, women and children impacted by historic floods in Pakistan, the Secretary-General will travel to the country next week for a solidarity visit,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

According to Dujarric, the UN secretary-general will arrive in Islamabad and will go to the areas most impacted by the unprecedented climate catastrophe. He will also have conversations with displaced families and humanitarian agencies working on the ground.

He is expected to remain in the country for two days and will leave on September 11.

Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said it will contribute in a big way to our collective effort to highlight the impact of this disaster.

On Tuesday, the UN appealed to the world to collect $160 million in aid for the Pakistani flood victims.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called upon the international community to take more steps to fight global warming and its impacts.

“Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”

During the ongoing monsoon season, Pakistan received about 186 per cent higher rainfall than its 30-year national average.

One-third of Pakistan has been completely submerged by unprecedented floods and the overall death toll is now more than 1,100.