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“Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will deliver the keynote address at the launch event being hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by a video message from Secretary General of the UN Mr. Antonio Guterres,” said the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson in a press release.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal will also speak at the event as he is the chairperson of the “Relief Coordination Committee” constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The FRP has been prepared in close coordination with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Chairman NDMA Lt. Gen. Akhtar Nawaz will also brief the session,” added the FO.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Resident Coordinator in Islamabad, and the Assistant Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will also speak at the event.
“The launch event will be attended by all UN Member States as well as various UN agencies and humanitarian organizations working in the area of disaster relief. The FRP will acknowledge the Government’s overall humanitarian response to the recent floods caused by unprecedented rains in Pakistan,” the FO added.
Initially, authorities in Pakistan were slow to react but the latest reports from the troubled regions indicate the damage caused by current floods is far greater than the super floods of 2010.
Unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rains have washed away roads, crops, infrastructure and bridges, killing at least 1,000 people in recent weeks and affecting more than 33 million.
