ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has underscored the need for international community’s sustained support for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-hit areas, saying that Pakistan will ask the rich nations to fund its ‘Reconstruction Program’ at a donor’s conference next year.
Asim Iftikhar, a spokesperson for the FO, stated during the weekly media briefing that the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase will be “a massive undertaking” and that continuing and sustained help and solidarity from the international community will be needed. He specifically referred to the donors’ meeting that France would be hosting, which is anticipated to bring together international financial and development partners and ask them to support the restoration and reconstruction efforts.
The summit, which French President Emmanuel Macron proposed to organize, has not yet been given a set date or location. Islamabad desires that France and the United Nations jointly convene the summit, as was initially proposed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during his visit to Pakistan to show support for flood victims.
“A detailed strategy will be brought to this conference. The FO spokesman stated that final decisions would be made regarding the precise schedule and location of the conference. We may anticipate this to occur around the close of the year, possibly at the end of November.
