Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), recently visited the village of Khadim Hussein in the Khairpur District of Pakistan following the devastating floods that affected the country in the summer of 2022.
The Khairpur District is still struggling to grapple with the aftereffects of the floods that were compounded by climate change. With no access to potable water, health facilities, electricity, or educational infrastructure, the need for climate finance is made clear by the millions of people affected in the region.
The government of Pakistan, along with the UN Secretary-General, hosted a conference in January 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, mobilizing commitments for $US7 billion for the people of Pakistan. Andersen says the time for climate finance, geared towards the poorest populations, who are most severely affected by the negative effects of climate change, has never been more urgent.
