PM Shehbaz meets President Biden, appreciates US flood assistance

 

In his speech to the UNGA, Biden made a fervent appeal to world leaders to help Pakistan deal with the flood devastation

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif with US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Courtesy PM Office

 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Joe Biden met in New York on Friday at the latter's reception for international leaders attending the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).


The Prime Minister's Office issued a photo from the meeting. 

Salman Sufi, the adviser to PM Shehbaz, reported that the prime minister expressed appreciation for the US government's flood relief efforts, the ongoing Covid vaccination assistance, and the bilateral cooperation during the meeting.


PM Shehbaz also praised the head of USAID for visiting Pakistan and thanked the American people and government for Pakistan's aid.


President Biden expressed his deep sorrow on the disaster's toll of hundreds of lives lost and offered his condolences to the impacted families.


He reaffirmed the US' commitment to providing Pakistan with humanitarian aid in the future.


The prime minister will address today at the UNGA session in the US to inform everyone about the destruction inflicted by apocalyptic weather events brought on by climate change. 

Pakistan has pleaded with the international world for assistance in relief efforts as the economy of the nation, which was already suffering from a negative balance of payments and diminishing foreign exchange reserves, has gotten worse as a result of the losses brought on by the floods.


Biden fervently pleaded for assistance in helping Pakistan deal with the destruction in his speech to the UNGA on Wednesday. He also asked the international community to continue to engage with Pakistan.


The US president stated that "Much of Pakistan is still submerged, and requires help," adding that families are forced to make difficult decisions on which child to feed and if they will live.


The human cost of climate change is as follows.
And instead of decreasing, it's rising. 

Additionally, the US president urged action to address the climate change catastrophe and unveiled a $2.9 billion fund to help life-saving humanitarian aid and food security assistance globally for this year only.