EU: funding to Pakistan to address humanitarian crisis. Need for food, water, shelter. Millions of Afghan refugees in the country.

The European Commission has allocated €16.5 million “to assist the most vulnerable people in Pakistan who have been affected by conflict as well as climate-induced disasters”. Of the overall allocation, €15 million - a statement reads - will fund humanitarian organisations in Pakistan “to provide food assistance, shelter, water and sanitation services as well as supporting Afghan refugees and their host communities”. The other €1.5 million will focus on disaster preparedness programmes to “promote climate resilience, foster coordination with local authorities and enhance the response”.
In the summer of 2022, Pakistan “faced the worst floods in its recent history which affected 33 million people, killing over 1,700 people, and destroying at least 2.2 million houses. The floods submerged almost a third of the country and massively impacted agricultural production, resulting in a dramatic heightening of humanitarian needs”. Moreover, the spillover of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is also affecting Pakistan. The estimated Afghan population in Pakistan amounts to around 3.7 million.
Valentina Bombelli