Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis (61) has promised Pakistan further support from Switzerland after last summer’s floods. Bern is still on the side of the devastated country, he said at the UN donor conference for Pakistan on Monday in Geneva.
Without announcing a new contribution, the head of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) confirmed Switzerland’s willingness to support international financial efforts. He praised the model reconstruction plan presented by the Pakistani government.
More than eight million francs so far
Cassis recalled that Switzerland had sent a humanitarian team to the northwest of the country for three months. Despite the difficulties, the infrastructure was able to be restored.
Switzerland provided three million francs for emergency aid in the disaster area of the South Asian country in September and 200,000 francs to aid organization Helvetas in November. A nationwide fundraising campaign raised another five million Swiss francs.
“Tomorrow It Might Be Us”
The Swiss foreign minister called on the international community to counter the effects of climate change: “Tomorrow it may be us” who need help, he stressed. No one is safe and a global response is needed.
According to authorities, more than 1,700 people died in Pakistan’s floods in August last year and eight million people were displaced from their towns and villages because of the flooding. More than two million homes, 13,000 kilometers of roads, nearly 450 bridges and more than 1.6 million hectares of farmland, clinics and drinking water reservoirs were damaged or destroyed. (SDA)
Source:Blick
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