The worst floods to hit Pakistan since 1929 have affected an estimated 21 million people with 8 to 12 million in need of urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance . Over 1,700 people have died and at least 1.9 million homes are reported to have been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving more than 10 million homeless. In addition to a rising number of deaths, injuries and displacements, there is major damage to roads, bridges, infrastructure and livelihoods. Over the medium to long-term, the food security situation in the country is likely to be affected by the significant loss of crops and agricultural land.
Although the floods are receding, destruction is widespread and millions of people are left with close to nothing. Food, clean drinking water, emergency shelter, medical care and non-food-items are among the most urgent needs of the population. Accessing all affected populations continues to pose serious logistical challenges and there is an urgent need to repair damaged roads and telecommunications networks.
The Government of Pakistan and the United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are working tirelessly to provide life-saving emergency assistance to the flood-affected communities. But much more needs to be done and hundreds of millions of dollars will be required to provide humanitarian assistance in the coming months. Unless response operations are rapidly scaled up to reach those who remain displaced and without immediate access to food and clean drinking water, additional loss of human lives and further suffering will occur.
Your support in meeting the immediate needs of the vulnerable people affected by this disaster is crucial!
While the United Nations and other humanitarian relief providers welcome all forms of assistance, both are urging potential donors to make cash contributions rather than in-kind donations. A cash contribution allows needs to be effectively covered. Moreover, a cash donation to a humanitarian pooled fund or to an organization/project within a consolidated humanitarian appeal ensures that your donation will feed into the humanitarian community’s existing and agreed upon strategic plan formulated in coordination with the affected country.
Read a guide to giving in response to the floods in Pakistan" here.
This is how YOU can help:
1. Give to the Emergency Response Fund for Pakistan
Provide funding to the UN Emergency Response Fund (ERF) for Pakistan which is country-based pooled funding mechanism that allocates funds to organizations to fill critical gaps and ensure that the most urgent actions have enough resources when a crisis occurs. The ERF in Pakistan has been in existence since March 2010 to respond to new emergencies such as the current floods. ERF funds will go to projects within the humanitarian response plan.
For bank transfer details for the ERF please e-mail email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.org. Reports on the ERF expenditure will be posted at www.reliefweb.int/fts for public accountability. (For more information on the ERF for Pakistan, click here)
For cheques, please make them payable to the ‘United Nations’ and indicate in the bottom left hand corner that it is for ‘ERF-Pakistan’ and mail to: UN-OCHA, External Relations & Partnerships Section, 380 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Provide funding to the CERF, a global fund to help victims of disasters and conflicts around the world. For donors who want to support the global disaster relief efforts of the UN, the best option is to give to the Central Emergency Response Fund. The CERF is managed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on behalf of the UN Secretary General. The CERF provides seed funds to jump-start critical operations and fund life-saving programmes not yet covered by other donors. Since its inception in 2006, CERF has committed US$1.7 billion to humanitarian projects in more than 78 countries and territories affected by disasters worldwide. Thanks to this mechanism the UN Secretary General approved up to US$ 40 million in emergency grants in response to the floods in Pakistan, which enabled agencies to respond quickly to the crisis. CERF works on the basis of pre-positioned funds that are allocated only on the basis of the most critical humanitarian needs around the world. Your contribution will ensure that CERF can continue to play its worldwide role to provide immediate relief in the most equitable, impartial and predictable manner.
OCHA has an agreement with the United Nations Foundation, a 501C3 organization, in order to receive . Donate to CERF at www.rapiddisasterrelief.org.
3. Give to the Pakistan Flood Emergency Response Plan (PFERP)
On 11 August, the humanitarian community launched the Pakistan Initial Floods Emergency Response Plan requesting $460 million to provide immediate relief for the most vulnerable people affected by the floods. Funding requirements have now been revised on the basis of fresh needs assessments, continuously rising beneficiary figures, and an extended planning and budgeting horizon. The revised Response Plan seeks a further $1.6 billion to enable international partners to support the Government of Pakistan in addressing the residual relief needs and early recovery needs of flood-affected families for the next twelve months. As of 30 September the UN, Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement and NGOs have received $620 million for this strategic plan to provide humanitarian assistance and relief to flood-affected communities.
→ Download the Response Plan
→ Click here for a contact list of the largest appealing agencies
→ Click here to view up-to-date funding levels for each organization in the appeal, which can help you direct your funding where it is most needed.
4. Provide In-Kind Assistance to the UN and the Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is urgently asking for in-kind donations of relief goods and has provided a list with detailed guidance and shipment information. Also it has provided a list of medicines that are urgently needed.
For a guide to in-kind contributions to humanitarian relief operations click here.
Participating UN agencies funds and programmes acting as Cluster leads have submitted needs for in-kind support via this website as needs assessments are completed. Please click here to see requests for in-kind goods and other needs .
Companies are also welcome to propose ideas for partnership directly via this website. Please indicate that your proposal is in response to the floods in Pakistan to ensure it is directed to the relevant parties across the UN system.
5. Give to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
OCHA is leading coordination mechanisms in partnership with the Government of Pakistan to ensure a more effective, rapid and coordinated response to the disaster. OCHA is responsible for conducting vital and timely multi-sectoral needs assessments to ensure that decisions regarding where, when and how humanitarian aid is provided are made based on actual needs of the affected population. In addition, OCHA plays a fundamental role in advocating for the rights of people in need, promoting preparedness and prevention, and facilitating sustainable solutions. More information on OCHA.
6. Give Bilaterally to the Agencies or Non-Government Organizations:
See a list of some of the agencies and organizations that you may be interested to support directly.
For further details contact Ms. Monica Belalcazar, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at email@example.com