EU agrees extra €10 million aid for Pakistan

Funds to help flood victims

The European Commission today (11 August) decided to provide €10 million in aid for victims of devastating floods in Pakistan. The aid comes on top of €30m in humanitarian assistance for civilians displaced by fighting between the government and the Taliban in Pakistan, allocated on 30 July.

The floods have affected close to 14m people in Pakistan, according to estimates by the United Nations. Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid, said that the figure could rise as the floods move toward the more densely populated south of the country. She said that close to 300,000 homes had been damaged and that around one-third of the country was flooded.

“First assessments show that the flood victims are in dire need of clean drinking water, shelter, food, non-food items like blankets and hygiene kits, and medical assistance,” Georgieva said. “Our additional emergency funds of €10 million will cover these needs through relief operations in all flood-affected areas in the country.”

Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said that the EU “stands ready to support Pakistan both in financial and political terms in dealing with the consequences of this terrible event”.

In all, the Commission has provided €111.25m in aid for victims of humanitarian crises in Pakistan over the past year, including the latest pledges.

Pakistan has requested the activation of the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, which is co-ordinated by the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC). The MIC is sending a liaison officer to Pakistan to help co-ordinate the European response to the disaster, and several participating states have already pledged in-kind assistance through the mechanism. 

 

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