Pakistan to seek over $16bn for flood rehabilitation at Geneva donors conference

• Donors conference will be held next month.
• Ishaq Dar chairs meeting to finalise draft agenda.
  
• FO briefs ministers about international participants.
  

ISLAMABAD: An international donors conference is scheduled to be held in Geneva on January 9, 2023, aimed to collect over $16 billion in aid for rehabilitating flood-affected areas in Pakistan.

A high-level panel led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and comprising federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Ahsan Iqbal, and chief ministers of four provinces will participate in the conference.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting on the donors' conference at the Finance Division.

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik, SAPM on Finance Tariq Bajwa, SAPM on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha, secretary finance, secretary MoFA, secretary Climate Change, secretary Planning Division, secretary Economic Affairs Division, secretary Information and Broadcasting and other senior officers from the relevant ministries attended the meeting.

The ministers debated the proposed plan for the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan to be held next month. The conference, co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations, aims to garner international aid to build back climate-resilient Pakistan after the devastating floods of 2022. It will also secure international humanitarian support for reconstruction and rehabilitation arrangements for post-flood recovery.

In the meeting, Secretary MoFA Asad Majeed gave a presentation on the draft agenda of the proposed conference with modalities, invitees, potential donors, and the schedule of the conference. 

He informed that the heads of state and governments from several countries, UN agencies, and leaders from the private sector, civil society, and international development and financial institutions would attend the conference.

In addition, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will speak at the high-level opening segment.

The participants suggested re-articulating and reconsidering some agendas with modifications to make the conference more participatory and meaningful and to present a strong case for Pakistan at the international forum. 

All the participants agreed to extend all-out support to make the conference successful.