Islamabad [Pakistan]: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is seeking USD 135.6 million from the donor community for 2024 to meet the critical humanitarian needs of over 5.5 million people in Pakistan, as reported by Dawn.
The humanitarian aid will help benefit over 5.5 million people, including 3.4 million children in Pakistan.
The 2024 funding requirement takes into account the protracted and ongoing nutrition emergency following the 2022 floods, as well as the ongoing response to support Afghan populations in Pakistan, according to the latest UNICEF report.
Moreover, the funding will help 1.3 million people gain access to safe water and sanitation, provide essential health and nutrition services for 5 million people and enable 18,000 children to access formal or non-formal education, Dawn reported.
According to the report, with the help of full funding, UNICEF will be able to reach 15 per cent of children in need of life-saving, humanitarian support in Pakistan.
The funding supports interventions for health, nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene, social and behaviour change, access to education and protection, as well as preparedness.
This includes contingency supplies for disasters and to respond to potential regional crises and population movement.
Meanwhile, out of the total funding request, USD 35 million will support the Afghan refugee response, including the provision of essential health and nutrition services, and access to education and protection for children, as reported by Dawn.
Notably, UNICEF seeks multi-year and flexible funding, in alignment with Grand Bargain commitments, for the multifaceted humanitarian needs faced by children and families in Pakistan.
The ‘Grand Bargain’ is a unique agreement between some of the largest donors and humanitarian organisations to get more means into the hands of people in need and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian action.
However, without adequate and timely funding, UNICEF and its partners will not be able to address children’s needs for health services, nutrition support, prevention of school drop-out and protection from violence, exploitation and abuse, according to Dawn.
According to UNICEF, Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
Moreover, the impacts of climate change are intensifying, leading to frequent floods and extreme weather events that are converging with other challenges to create a difficult humanitarian situation, especially for the most vulnerable people.
Earlier in 2022, catastrophic floods swept through the country, affecting 33 million people, out of which, half of them were children. There were more than 1,100 fatalities. A year later, many of the hardest-hit districts still have limited access to essential services, Dawn reported.
Following this, the loss of infrastructure to the floods has aggravated pre-existing inequities, placing the most vulnerable children at an even greater risk of hunger and disease outbreaks.
Despite extensive humanitarian response efforts to address the impacts of the flooding, ongoing support remains crucial in the most vulnerable flood-affected districts.
