US Agency announces $16 million in aid for Pakistan flood relief

07-06-2023

Charlotte Parker

Pakistan and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence 

On the 6th of June, 2023, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it would be providing $16.4 million in aid for Pakistan’s flood relief efforts. The USAID Deputy Administrator visited Sindh where the announcement was made, previously, the agency had deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team in Pakistan with the intention to lead the US humanitarian response and rapidly provide aid to affected communities since mid-2022 when the floods worsened. 

USAID announced in its pledge for assistance, that the assistance aimed to reach over 20 million people affected by these severe floods, to ensure their recovery and risk reduction from any future flooding events. The assistance is focused on the worsening food insecurity and malnutrition currently spreading as a result of the flooding. As the floods had a devastating impact on crops, livestock and overall infrastructure, it has caused food scarcity impacting millions throughout Pakistan. Thus, according to USAID the funding aims to provide food, particularly to mothers and children, assist in rebuilding efforts for vital infrastructure, and increase protection and prevention services for gender-based violence and its survivors, as this has been another issue exacerbated by the flooding. 

USAID had previously provided assistance for flood recovery efforts, including scaling up vital humanitarian assistance with help of the US Department of Defense to deliver 630 metric tons of life-saving relief commodities to Pakistan, and having previously provided over $200 million in assistance throughout the 2022 floods.

Sources and further reading:

Geo News Web Desk. US announces over $16m additional flood aid for Pakistan. (2023, June 6). Geo.tv. Retrieved 7th June 2023 from https://www.geo.tv/latest/491588-us-announces-over-16m-in-additional-flood-aid-for-pakistan