USAID grants Pakistan $16.4 million for Sindh’s flood affectees

ISLAMABAD – US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman, who is on a four-day visit to Pakistan, today announced $16.4 million in additional development and humanitarian assistance to support the resilience of communities that experienced 2022’s historically severe floods.

A USAID statement says Coleman, who arrived in the country yesterday, will visit flood-affected areas in Sindh, where she will meet with impacted communities. In Islamabad, she will meet with Pakistani officials to discuss flood recovery pathways, infectious diseases, global health security, malnutrition, and the nexus of climate change and health as the lead of the US delegation at the U.S.-Pakistan Health Dialogue.

In her visit, she aims to underscore the United States’ commitment to its more than 75 year partnership with Pakistan, and to highlight US efforts to support Pakistan’s flood relief and recovery efforts.

Greetings from Pakistan! Great to be back as @USAID Deputy Administrator to underscore US commitment to our 75+ yr 🇺🇸-🇵🇰 partnership & see @USAID’s efforts to support Pakistan’s flood relief/recovery firsthand. Follow along to learn more!

Trip Advisory: https://t.co/zxPMMeGMWM pic.twitter.com/SkTuIzmwcB

— Isobel Coleman (@ColemanUSAID) June 7, 2023

An estimated 33 million people were impacted by last year’s floods that also had a devastating impact on infrastructure, crops, livelihoods, and livestock throughout the country.

This new funding will reach over 20 million flood-affected individuals to assist in their recovery, risk reduction, and resilience. The assistance will address worsening food insecurity and malnutrition and help curb the spread of disease. In addition, this funding will support humanitarian partners to provide nutritious food to mothers and their children, help families rebuild local infrastructure to protect them from future disasters, and increase protection services to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors.

Reuters reports citing the government that the USAID has granted Pakistan $445.6 million over a five-year period through a development objectives assistance agreement.

Following severe monsoon rains and resultant floods in Pakistan during mid-2022, USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to lead the US humanitarian response and rapidly provide aid to affected communities. This included working with partners to quickly scale-up vital humanitarian assistance, including through partnering with the US Department of Defense to successfully complete an air bridge that delivered nearly 630 metric tons of life-saving relief commodities to Pakistan.

The United States is one of the largest donors to Pakistan, providing more than $200 million in humanitarian and development assistance since 2022’s catastrophic floods. The United States continues to stand with the people of Pakistan as they recover from the impacts of the historic floods.

Last month, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $213 million in financing for Balochistan aimed at improving livelihoods and essential services and enhancing risk protection in communities affected by the 2022 floods.