Peshawar, December 08 (ONLINE): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Department of Planning & Development (P&D) held a consultative session with development partners in Islamabad regarding the KP Flood Response Plan 2022, designed with support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Merged Areas Governance Project (MAGP).
The plan – the first of its kind in the country – has been designed in the aftermath of the recent floods that have left more than 674,000 people internally displaced and destroyed the homes of more than 91,000 families. Through this plan, the KP government aims to rehabilitate flood survivors and safeguard them from further vulnerability to climate change by introducing climate resilience and advanced risk governance in the province.
“The world is entering uncharted waters with climate change. Unfortunately, we are at the frontlines despite having a little contribution to the crisis,” said KP Minister for Finance and Health Mr. Taimur Khan Jhagra in his opening remarks. “But if such is our lot, we intend to defend ourselves by leveraging data, evidence, apt use of resources, and the goodwill of our partners. We will stand on the twin anchors of climate resilience and financial resiliency.”
UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative Mr. Knut Ostby termed the consultative session a “milestone” for the KP government in overcoming challenges worsened by the recent flood’s devastation. “This flood recovery plan shows three systemic innovations will be required in KP and elsewhere to improve resilience: resilient infrastructure; institutions that effectively govern climate risk; and district-level preparedness and responsiveness,” he said, urging partners to support the KP government with the mammoth task ahead.
At the event, KP Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Mr. Shahab Ali Shah gave a detailed presentation on the Flood Response Plan. He said as per initial estimates, the provincial government requires $189 million to increase governance resiliency against climate risks in addition to $372 million needed for rehabilitation, emphasizing that additional resources would only prove effective if the institutions in place worked well.
The ACS spoke about the Climate Resilient Infrastructure Fund (CRIF), which the KP government aims to establish. It would leverage public and private partnerships for Rs35 billion. “We intend to model scenarios and possible responses to ensure we are sure-footed whenever the next black swan event happens. Our people deserve a government that not only responds to situations but is prepared for them,” he said.
Diplomats from the British High Commission, U.S. Consulate General and Embassy of Sweden, and representatives from the European Union Delegation to Pakistan, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), U.S. State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), and German Development Bank (KfW) were also present. They appreciated the depth of the plan and commended the provincial government for quickly completing the task that is of national significance.
Secretaries and officials of the KP administrative departments including agriculture, irrigation, environment, health, information, communication and works, elementary and secondary education, provincial disaster management authority, Sustainable Development Unit (SDU), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also attended the event.
Closing the session, Mr. Taimur Khan Jhagra appreciated the support of the development partners and stressed that the KP government would be focused both on the short and long-term aspects. It will work on the immediate reconstruction and rehabilitation work as well as building a climate-resilient economy to proactively protect people from such disasters in the future.
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